Reforming Arts Incorporated

Reforming Arts Incorporated is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization formed to provide arts and humanities education in Georgia prisons. We provide higher education opportunities to Georgia inmates by offering a broad range of college preparatory and college level courses and partnering with universities to deliver high quality and rigorous classes which engage the population. Most classes are open to the general population with minimal requirements for entry.

Reforming Arts believes that sustained involvement in the arts and the humanities education provides a creative and intellectual outlet for incarcerated individuals allowing them to examine their life experiences and systemic structures, in a productive, community-building environment. And because evidence-based studies have shown that the more education an inmate receives the less likely they are to return to prison, Reforming Arts is committed to providing on-going educational opportunities.

We recognize that the majority of Georgia’s inmates do not have a high school diploma and for them education can be intimidating, with this in mind, Reforming Arts provides classes that are both accessible and rigorous. We challenge students to think in new ways, and in doing so, the students not only gain new knowledge, but transform preconceived notions about themselves and the value of education. It is our hope that this will make them more receptive to additional education upon release and make them more likely to highlight its importance to their families and communities. As you can see, our classes are designed to increase confidence, self-efficacy, and self-regulation.