Their story: From creative writing of female prisoners to restorative theatre performance

Abstract

Traditional reaction to crime is inefficient and experts are searching for innovative methods of social rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders. Restorative justice - an approach that respects interests of all the subjects affected by criminal offence, including victims, offenders and community - is becoming increasingly widespread as an addition to classical, formal judicial processes and punishments. Restorative process is efficient due to its powerful transformative mechanisms based upon dialogue, mediation, negotiation, reconciliation, forgiveness, symbolic rituals, reintegrative shaming, community support and control. Restorative elements emerge in various forms, including innovative programmes of work with prisoners, focused on social rehabilitation and reintegration, in order to prevent re-offending. Some of them implement therapeutic effects of art, as a means to help prisoners to: overcome deprivations, express emotions, heal past trauma, (re)establish healthy relationships, enhance empathy, strengthen self-confidence, rebuild positive identity and reintegrate in the community. On the grounds of Boal's "theatre of the oppressed", various forms of socially engaged theatrical genres evolved, including applied theatre, surpassing the borders of classical theatre and getting closer to performance. Theatre within the prison walls being one of them, we took the example of the theatre performance "Her Story", written and performed by prisoners from Correctional Institution for Women in Požarevac, Serbia. Completed through creative writing workshops and played in this penal institution, it is an example of applied theatre based upon art therapy with strong restorative effects. The points of intersection between restorative process and this theatre performance, make it stand out among other forms of applied theatre, providing it with particularly strong transformative effects. Following the case study of "Her Story", the authors of this paper have suggested further application of similar programmes and their promotion within the community, as an effective method of crime suppression through healing powers of art in synergy with restorative elements.