uncommon worth's driven: to reduce recidivism
TRANSCRIPT
TO REDUCE RECIDIVISMDRIVEN:
Join us in “service of the good.”
WORTH ncommonU
nonprofit fundraising & cause marketing consultancy
Rachel and I are proud to introduce Driven: To Reduce Recidivism (D2RR);
Houston’s first reentry program to use theatre arts & storytelling to help people achieve their goals following release from incarceration.
We are driven to collect & share the STORIES behind the STATISTICS
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Lorraine Hansberry on Racial Bias
The [IN]justice System • 7.3 million Americans under correctional supervision
(eg: prison, parole) (source: nelp.org) • costing $80 billion a year (source: ActorsGang) • The criminal justice budget in Texas is $2.5 billion.
• There are more African American men in prison in Texas than in the higher education system (source: Race & Imprisonment in Texas)
• a black male child has a 1 in 3 chance of going to prison (Columbia Law Review) and today, conservative estimates suggest more than 70 million Americans have a criminal record. (nelp.org)
• Nearly 2/3 of all inmates will return to jail within 3 years. (source: urban.org) • In Texas, out of 150,000 + inmates, more than 70,000 are released and
12,200+ will return to Houston each year (source: TDCJ) • 51% of Harris County Jail inmates are black as compared to 19% of the Harris
County population. (source: US Census & ABC News)
Question: What works? ACLU: “Little in the way of definitive research exists to document the effective treatments necessary for successful reentry.”
Journal of Offender Rehabilitation: “No single reentry program has been identified as successful.”
Research shows NO consistency, NO oversight, and little to NO data.�
How is success defined? How is recidivism defined? What rehabilitation was received?
We’re not waiting for an invitation to help... �What works?
All D2RR research will be available for review & download à
join the mailing list for an email update when available
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RESOURCE FILES
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Answer: ART. Art works.
Tim Robbins’ Actors’ Gang in LA & the California Prison Arts Project report promising results!
Release + One Year 74.2 % are successful vs. state average of 49.6% (source: Justice Policy Journal)
Surveys with inmates, staff & corrections officers suggested that inviting the arts into corrections was responsible for a
“transformation in attitudes and skill sets among participants.”
D2RR: Program & Performance D2RR in Development • Reentry workshops
– application, review and approval process – workshop sessions (segregated by sex),
performances & celebratory events – both single-day & multi-session options in
development
• Long-term support & engagement – participant network, follow-up
• Education & advocacy – broad public outreach – engage Houston’s theatre community
• Share stories vs. statistics – develop roster of subject matter experts – translate into action-oriented communications
Short Session: Curriculum • abbreviated 4-5 hour explorations
– allows facilitators the chance to meet applicants prior to full workshop
Full Workshop: Curriculum • 14 sessions over 3 months
– three (3) workshops per year with plans for sustainability and growth
– each session 2+ hours, eg: Mondays from 6:30 – 9 pm (tbd)
– 12 psychodrama sessions, 1 tech rehearsal and 1 final performance
• Original Theatrical Performance – original piece developed during workshop,
open to public. friends & family – Celebratory event following the performance
“Every number is a person [and] behind every person is a family and surrounding every family is a community.” - Loretta Lynch
D2RR: Theatre-Aid to Reentry THE PROGRAM WILL HELP FORMER FELONS BY:
• using performing arts-based therapeutic tactics, like psychodrama and storytelling exercises, that enable participants to explore and share their personal histories and valuable perspectives.
• introducing the theatre as a neutral, inspiring environment, versus a space that feels like a clinical setting or an extension of the corrections system, left behind at release.
• building a program to foster long-term relationships between participants and program facilitators and arts-ed reentry coaches, that includes: – 1-on-1 sessions to define success, set reentry goals and evaluate progress. - practical advice, as requested, regarding the entertainment industry, and - other supportive counseling, as appropriate, with - D2RR follow ups and connection to network of past-participant
“alumni.”
D2RR: Theatre-Aid to Reentry!(continued) The D2RR program will aid former felons by: • creating a respectful forum to discuss racism and verbalize thoughts,
feelings and opinions regarding the growing disparities re: racial equality. • acknowledging the racial injustice within the criminal justice and/or
corrections systems; likely that program participants have been victimized • developing realistic methods to overcome barriers caused by systemic
racial oppression; sadly, seeking re-admission back in to racist society • honing our participants’ communications and presentational skills,
necessary to interview for, and secure employment • exploring personal narratives to develop an original production, each
workshop; helping to share the stories behind the statistics. • producing a final workshop performance and informal event
– to celebrate program participants’ reentry efforts and return to the community. – to rebuild relationships with invited guests; inviting discussion in neutral
setting.
HTX Population Served Program participants eligible to apply for D2RR’s workshop include: • men and women expecting to reenter
the Houston / Harris County area in 2017 or 2018
• 18-years or older at release* *average age 33, 11th grade
• designated G1: non-violent offenders – no active warrants or arrests – without having committed the
following crimes: arson, kidnapping or sexual offenses
Applications will be available online and within selected, Houston prisons. The program will be actively promoted within the local corrections
community and also introduced to the local region via traditional PR methods.
60% + prisoners were convicted of a non-violent crime.
Get Involved with Us Join Our Collaboration • The Ensemble Theatre has committed to join Driven: To Reduce Recidivism and
we are currently working with their Board of Director and checking calendars. • HTX theatre is rallying around our mission to promote racial equality within our
local arts organizations and to help an overlooked population in need of support.
Roles & Responsibilities Driven Theater Co. & Uncommon Worth are equal partners and share responsibility for all program development and facilitation, fundraising, recruitment, communication, and sustainability strategies. • Uncommon Worth will focus on fundraising, marketing and develop the program’s
administrative foundations. • Driven Theater Co. will focus on the workshop curriculum and the development of
an original performance. • Together, we will help D2RR participants to identify and achieve their short- and
long-term goals.
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We need to engage the activists within our theatrical community and beyond. We need to educate the public and humanize statistics as stories.
We need your help.
DONATE TODAY Your support today creates exponential value for us tomorrow.
Early support from the community encourages other philanthropists and prospective funding partners to invest. Give now to make a big impact!
Join the mailing list, visit the microsite and connect on social media to stay in touch and support our progress as Houston’s first theatre-based reentry program.
Advocate on our Behalf WORTH ncommonU
D2RR: Founding Partners Rachel H. Dickson, LMSW, Driven Theater Company (DTC) Rachel was inspired to found DTC while performing in children’s theatre in Chicago, IL. Rachel secured her Master of Social Work license and a Master of Fine Arts in order to marry the creative and didactic. Respected in Houston’s theatre community, she has extensive experience, and credits, as a teacher, director, writer, actor and producer. Driven Theater Company is a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to empowering and connecting and entertaining diverse audiences with quality, issue-driven theatre and education designed to encourage the healthy development of the individual, the family and society.
Courtney Webb, Uncommon Worth For more than 20 years, Courtney has raised millions for organizations like City of Hope, Theatre West, Memorial Hermann Health System and Heifer International. Through Uncommon Worth, her boutique consultancy, Courtney drives much needed funding and awareness to nonprofits and helps businesses maximize their giving to further marketing, PR and business development goals. Inspired to leverage theatre as a tool for social progress while working with Cleveland Public Theatre, Courtney is eager to manifest her vision in HTX.
D2RR: Expert Consultants Brian Cox, Corrections Consultant Brian earned his masters' degree in clinical psychology and has worked for over 30 years in corrections as a researcher, social worker, prison unit psychologist, school psychologist, trainer, educator, and program manager. He served on the Texas Senate Education Committee's School Psychology Task Force and as past President of the Texas Association of Psychological Associates.
I do not believe there is a way in which this deeply entrenched evil can be quickly healed. But until this goal is reached there is no greater satisfaction for a just and well-meaning person than
the knowledge that he has devoted his best energies �to the service of the good. – Albert Einstein
Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) D2RR is working closely with TDCJ Correctional Divisions including Volunteer Services, Reentry & Integration, and Rehabilitation Programming.
Join us in “service of the good.” Rachel Hemphill-Dickson Driven Theater Company
Courtney Webb Uncommon Worth
Join the mailing list for news and updates. Find us at:
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TO REDUCE RECIDIVISMDRIVEN:uncommonworth.com/driven