Using Art Therapy to Reverse the Delinquent Label with Juvenile Detention Populations      

David Gussak

Despite its pervasiveness, teen delinquency remains one of the most vexing issues in contemporary society not only in the United States but around the world. Our response has generally been to saddle them with a label of “delinquent” or “deviant”, assess them as potentially harmful, and incarcerate them in increasingly large numbers. Understanding how adolescents experience and are shaped by institutional life is imperative in reversing the trajectory towards future incarceration. Environmental interactions influence the behavior of these children as detention centers, camps, and court ordered schools propagate and solidify the negative labels they are given. However, while interactions perpetuate these identities, they can, in turn, help reverse them. Drawing from Social Interactionism and Labeling Theory, this presentation demonstrates that not only is art beneficial in assessing the states, needs and struggles of the juvenile detainee, but also how art has been found to be valuable in creating and facilitating new interactions that help mitigate these labels.  

Drawn from a chapter in the newly released book Art and Art Therapy with the Imprisoned: Re- Creating Identity, this presentation will rely on research, case vignettes, illustrations and discussions with other art therapists to underscore how art therapy can potentially help reverse the negative labels and identities placed on ‘delinquent’ youth and interrupt a cycle that often leads to adult imprisonment.