Arts in Corrections

The Riverside Arts Council provides services utilizing the arts as a form of rehabilitation to the California Rehabilitation Center, California Institute for Men and California Institute for Women as part of the California Arts Council's Arts in Corrections program.

Administered by the California Arts Council, the Arts in Corrections program enhances rehabilitative goals, improves the safety and environment of state prisons, and combats recidivism. Services provided span the full spectrum of art disciplines, with organizations offering instruction in theatre, guitar, dance, creative writing and Native American beadwork, among many others. Arts programming now reaches all 35 state adult correctional institutions—a significant increase from the 20 institutions served by the program in the previous fiscal year.
California’s Arts in Corrections program is made possible by funding from the Division of Rehabilitative Programs at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). Since the program’s re-launch in 2013, CDCR’s investment has increased from $2.5 million in the first two years to an $8 million annual commitment. California’s Arts in Corrections program has become internationally renowned for its high-impact, innovative approach to addressing the state's critical public safety needs and rehabilitative priorities through the arts.