Juvenile Justice and Expressive Arts

Carol Cross, Ph.D., has professional experience working with diverse populations of homeless, mentally and physically challenged, and street-involved youth and adults in inner-city communities. She has also taught at the university level. Collaborative projects with various social service organizations adhere to her belief that integration between people of various life experiences and learning differences, ages, and ethnicities builds community spirit.　 A visual artist, Cross holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Emily Carr University of Art + Design, Vancouver, British Columbia. Her Master's in Education thesis focused on the social benefits of establishing sustainable community art programs, and art education as social intervention for "at-risk" youth. In her efforts to build positive social change and raise awareness of violence as a social problem, and with the support of Provincial and Government of Canada funding, she set up a free after-school photography and writing program for inner-city teens, held at a Vancouver college. In 2001, she founded Chroma Zone Studios, and in 2004, awarded a Government contract, she began working with incarcerated male and female teens at a correctional institution in British Columbia, Canada. Dr. Cross continues to advocate for social justice and community regeneration through her work as an artist and expressive arts educator.

'Juvenile Justice and Expressive Arts is a useful resource for educators, policy makers, and other professionals working with youth identified with delinquency and at-risk tendencies. Its youth driven initiatives through art showcase practical means to encourage incarcerated youth to articulate their thoughts, feelings, and frustrations in safe and therapeutic ways that extend beyond what words alone can achieve. Ultimately, its qualitative approach demonstrates how educators help guide youth experiencing hardships to make positive and productive changes, cope with life’s obstacles, and discover the ways in which they belong to society as valuable and contributing members.' – Debrah C. Sickler-Voigt, Professor of Art Education, Middle Tennessee State University

• 1. Introduction to the Study. 2. Youth in Custody. 3. Art as Education and Therapy: Its Benefits for All Youth. 4. Methodology and Method. 5. The Projects. 6. Analysis and Discussion. Postscript. Appendices.