For my reflection this week, I chose Amanda Weber’s TED Talk about the challenges that women in prison experience and how her choir program helps them cope with their struggles as individuals in the criminal justice system. This system favours retributive justice — that is — a model that does not believe in healing activities such as music. As a result, women within these institutions feel powerless, depressed, and bored due to a monotonous daily routine.
Musicians like Amanda Weber are trying to improve the lives of these people because the general public is not taking steps to do so. This is because of the remoteness of these institutions, the lack of news coverage, and the absence of people-first language. These factors make the public feel distanced from these institutions, making them unaware of the struggles that people that have been incarcerated face.
I think this choir program is an excellent idea because music can be used to strongly advocate for the rights of these individuals. Once these talented women perform at concerts, the audience learns that people within prisons are just as competent as unimprisoned people. This may make government officials more inclined to implement these positive programs as they have the potential to prevent recidivism; as these women realize their artistic potential, they are more likely to explore their passion for music once released, rather than recidivating.
Most detention centres do not have such a choir program that allows people that have been incarcerated to develop personally; hence, everyone does not have equal access to music-making. This is unfortunate as I believe the art form is a human right — it is heavily integrated into many cultures and can improve peoples’ mental health and academic success. To summarize, this is what makes Amanda Weber’s program crucial; it allows these women to continue to experience the joys and benefits of the art form.
References
Weber, A. [TEDx Talks]. (2017, Feb 21). Voices of Hope from within prison walls [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2H4qyOG13fc.