Music in the Life of those in Prison
While the ultimate goal of prisons should be rehabilitation, sadly that is not always the case. For some prison can be a harrowing experience with little to no outlets. This is made worse by the fact that many prisons do not have things like education programs and ways to look after the mental health of those held within. This translates to a poor transition back into society when the incarcerated individual is released. With no new skills to fall back on reentering the prison system may become a grievous vicious cycle.
Music can be a fantastic way for the people who are incarcerated to feel validated and to create, share, and express whatever they want in a healthy and safe manner. Music can be liberating and this is important not just for prisoners but all people. Music can also offer a goal to complete and challenge them, for some it may help them step out of their comfort zone, for others it may give them a creative outlet, music has something to offer many people and the experience can be very beneficial.
Having programs that allow inmates to have creative outlets seems to have a positive impact. Music lends itself to open a lot of opportunities to inmates, for example, there is the learning and teaching aspect. Because people are arriving with different skill sets and experiences it would not be uncommon to run into a person who knows how to play an instrument particularly well and they may be able to teach another. Skill sharing benefits not just the person learning but the teacher as well because we remember and reinforce learned material by teaching it to others. We may be a long way from being able to have music or art programs in all prisons, but it is certainly a goal worth striving for.