Art as Therapy for Juvenile Delinquents

Leannrdu, Vol. 7, pp. 337-338. Perganion Press 1974. Printed in Great Britain ART AS THERAPY FOR JUVENILE DELINQUENTS Barron M. Hirsch* I. INTRODUCTION In the spring of 1972 I was asked to organize an art program for delinquent children (ages 12to 18) residing in a county juvenile center in the state of Michigan, U.S.A., using art students from Saginaw Valley College as teachers. Such a project suggests many questions. Can art be used to help develop a sense of social responsibility? Can an art program be used as a valuable part of a total program for reforming young criminals? I certainly hoped that we could do more than simply offer pleasant recreation. The following report shows the structure and rationale of our approach and the experiences of our first year. II. BASIC APPROACH Arts and crafts programs have been carried on by volunteers at thejuvenile center for severalyears. Because of their preplanned mechanical nature, they have been of limited interest to the children. The last such project that I saw required an individual to put plaster in a mold and paint the result. The primary objective was for a person to make a product. Lowenfeld and Brittain in their book state: ‘There is great satisfaction in expressing one’s own feelings and emotion in art. The child is expressing his own importance, through his own means, and the satisfaction he derives from his achievement is self-evident’ [11. Using this basic idea, I set up a program in which the primary objective would be the development of an individual’s self-respect and confidence. Art as therapy is not a new idea. Professionally trained art therapists are employed in the U.S.A. by mental and penal institutions, schools for disturbed children and veterans administration hospitals. But can art also be used successfully to develop social responsibility? Lowenfeld and Brittain state: ‘The drawing can then become an extension of the self out into the world of reality * Chairman, Art Department, Saginaw Valley College, 5469 Mary Court, Saginaw, MI 48603, U.S.A. (Received 18 September 1973.) ’ as it begins to encompass others in the viewing of the subject matter. This feeling of social consciousness is the beginning of the child’s understanding of the larger world of which he will become a part’ [I]. They go on to conclude: ‘It is important to stress the significance of the individual ’s ability to live cooperatively in his society. This ability cannot be developed unless the child learns to assume responsibility for the things he is doing, is able to face his own action, and by doing so, identifies with others. Creative activities provide an excellent means for taking this important step’ [l]. III. INSTRUCTIONS TO STUDENT TEACHERS The college students who were to act as teachers were given a basic lecture on the nature of art as it relates to the development of children. I explained the notion of art as a means of expressing one’s feelings and experiences and the resultant selfconfidence and self-respect that might come from such activity. I stressed the fact that a relaxed friendly atmosphere is essential for self-expression and that the individuals should be allowed to select subjects and materials freely and to make pictures in their own way. I also asked the student teachers to be liberal in their praise of the artistic efforts that were made. IV. METHODS AND MATERIALS I established the following basic procedure: The student teachers would first set out a variety of art materials for each child. At each place there were to be a box of oil pastels, three or four colors of tempera paint (usually red, yellow and blue), a No. 4 or No. 6 brush, pencils and some oil-base clay. There were usually to be eight children in a group. Large sheets of white inexpensive (40 Ib) printing paper was to be used for both oil pastels and paint. The length of an art period was to vary from one to two hours. When work was completed, the children were to be asked to wash brushes and help to clean up. Whenever possible, the pictures were 337 D 338...