How can theatre programs in prisons contribute to safer prison environments? This presentation draws on case studies of several high-profile theater programmes in US prisons, including theater at San Quentin, theater with juvenile offenders, and with individuals in solitary confinement, and the renowned 30-year "Shakespeare Behind Bars" to explore how creative practices foster trust, reduce tensions, and open spaces of dignity within secure facilities. Attendees will gain insights into how volunteer-facilitated theatre aligns with international conversations about trauma-informed practice and dynamic security, while offering low-cost, community-based innovation. The session will highlight practical lessons for correctional leaders, staff, and program providers, as well as opportunities for research–practice partnerships.
While research shows that participation in arts programs is linked to fewer disciplinary incidents, much less is known about how this happens. Volunteers describe theatre as a unique setting where incarcerated participants can experience belonging, cooperation, and constructive self-expression. These “free spaces” are not without challenge: theatre practitioners must negotiate with correctional staff, adapt materials and methods under strict regulations, and sustain legitimacy in often-unpredictable environments. Yet through these efforts, they help cultivate safer, more humane cultures of interaction that complement traditional approaches to safety and rehabilitation.
Ultimately, this presentation invites attendees to consider the question: “How can corrections professionals partner with theatre programme volunteers to help create sustainable conditions for both safety and human flourishing behind bars?”
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Karen Hamer
Doctoral Candidate in Criminology & Criminal Justice, The University of Texas at Dallas, United States
Born in Aotearoa New Zealand of Ngāti Kahungunu and Scottish descent, Karen Burnett Hamer is a doctoral candidate in Criminology and Criminal Justice at The University of Texas at Dallas. Her research explores the role of the arts, volunteers, and education in correctional settings, with a particular focus on rehabilitation and reentry. As a researcher and practitioner, Karen has collaborated with Sam Chapman and Houhanga Rongo in Auckland prisons, founded and facilitated a Shakespeare program in a men’s prison in Colorado, and visited theater programmes and contributed to arts initiatives in prisons in the US, UK, and New Zealand. She holds graduate degrees in Education from The University of Auckland and Applied Criminology, Penology and Management from the University of Cambridge.
Karen is a founding member of the Aligned Academics New Zealand Arts in Corrections Network. Her network spans criminal justice professionals, arts practitioners, incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals, and interdisciplinary researchers across multiple contexts. She has taught undergraduate courses in criminal justice policy, juvenile justice, and comparative justice, and has presented her work internationally. She is an engaging presenter who welcomes collaborators, communicators, and the merely curious into conversations about the practicalities and potential of volunteer-led theater arts programs in prisons.
