Duursma Elisabeth, Hanley Natalia, Evans Jedidiah, Wilson Morgan
Western Sydney University/TeEACH, Penrith, NSW, Australia.
La Trobe University, Bundoora, Vic, Australia.
Int J Offender Ther Comp Criminol. 2025 Oct;69(13-14):1955-1977. doi: 10.1177/0306624X251346511. Epub 2025 Jun 28.
Creative writing programs offer prisoners a means of self-expression and rehabilitation, fostering self-reflection and emotional expression by encouraging introspection, channelling emotions, building resilience, and fostering creativity and identity. Despite numerous publications on these programs, there is a lack of summaries detailing the types of programs, providers, target audiences, and rigorous evaluation of the benefits. This scoping review examines 56 sources (peer-reviewed, and non-peer reviewed including dissertations, book chapters, and reports) on creative writing initiatives in prisons, focusing on their characteristics and efficacy. Most studies were conducted in the U.S., Australia, and the U.K., with programs mainly run by universities or charitable organizations. Nearly half of the studies did not provide demographic information about participants, and few included evaluations. Evaluations relied on self-reports, observations, and analysis of written works, with minimal use of surveys or interviews. The study highlights the need for more rigorous research to assess the effectiveness of creative writing programs, which have the potential to improve prisoners' wellbeing during and after imprisonment. Thorough research could demonstrate effectiveness, identify best practices, understand impact, improve programs and inform policy.
创意写作项目为囚犯提供了一种自我表达和康复的方式，通过鼓励内省、疏导情绪、培养复原力以及促进创造力和身份认同来促进自我反思和情感表达。尽管有大量关于这些项目的出版物，但缺乏详细介绍项目类型、提供者、目标受众以及对其益处进行严格评估的综述。本范围综述考察了56篇关于监狱创意写作项目的文献来源（包括同行评审和非同行评审的论文、书籍章节及报告），重点关注其特点和效果。大多数研究在美国、澳大利亚和英国开展，项目主要由大学或慈善组织运营。近一半的研究未提供参与者的人口统计学信息，且很少有研究包含评估内容。评估依赖自我报告、观察和对书面作品的分析，很少使用调查或访谈。该研究强调需要进行更严格的研究，以评估创意写作项目的有效性，这些项目有可能改善囚犯在服刑期间及出狱后的福祉。全面的研究可以证明其有效性、确定最佳实践、了解影响、改进项目并为政策提供依据。
