At Richard J. Donovan State Correctional Facility in San Diego, a weekly art class offers something rare: a space to create, connect and feel human.
In this episode, we visit Project PAINT, an arts organization bringing art education to people incarcerated in California prisons. We meet students serving life sentences who have found unexpected purpose in painting, including one former student who now returns to the prison as an instructor. Their stories reveal how creativity can help people manage anger, grief and isolation, while opening doors to education, self-expression and a sense of belonging. But access to art supplies and classes is limited, and the question of whether prison arts programs reduce recidivism remains difficult to answer.
Through conversations with artists, educators and researchers, we examine the promise of creative rehabilitation and why making art can matter even when freedom is out of reach.
Guests:
- Travis aka Juice, Project PAINT student at Donovan
- Morgan Mandalay, Project PAINT instructor
- Ruben Radillo, Project PAINT instructor
- Ian, Project PAINT student at Donovan
- John R. Whitman, author of "Prisons of Creativity: Artist Innovation During Incarceration"
- Laura Pecenco, Project PAINT founder
- Gwen, Project PAINT student at Donovan
Sources:
- Recidivism of Prisoners Released in 24 States in 2008: A 10-Year Follow-Up Period (Leonardo Antenangeli, PhD and Matthew R. Durose, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2021)
- Incarcerated Students Now Eligible for Federal Pell Grants (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, 2023)
- Tim Robbins's Prison Improv Classes Make Inmates Less Likely to Re-Offend (Mickey Rapkin, New York Magazine, 2016)
- Revisioning Recidivism: Going Beyond the Stats (Rehabilitation Through Arts, 2025)
- The Data Behind Prison Reform (Jinmook Kang, Marcelo Agudo, Josephine Wonsun Hahn, The Brennan Center for Justice, 2026)
- Here's What Pride Was Like in a California Prison (Daniel X. Cohen, Prison Journalism Project, 2026)
From KPBS Public Media, The Finest is a podcast about the people, art and movements redefining culture in San Diego. Listen to it wherever you get your podcasts or click the play button at the top of this page and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Pocket Casts, Pandora, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.
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