Criminal Justice in the Arts

Today, the United States houses twenty-five percent of the world’s total prison population. America’s perception of criminality and corrections is deeply enmeshed within this current context of mass incarceration. Throughout the United States, art is being used to bring awareness to issues of mass incarceration, to engage incarcerated populations, or build community among those affected by the criminal justice system. These profiles reflect projects, artists, and organizations that are bringing awareness to the prison industrial complex in innovative and artistic ways.