WHY

Why is art and literacy engagement so important to incarcerated individuals?

The U.S. has one of the largest prison populations in the world, with recidivism rates of over 70%. Mass incarceration costs tax-paying Americans $182 billion a year. Art and literacy engagement, as well as emotional regulation skills, has been proven to help break this cycle. The facts show how the cycle is perpetuated:

Juvenile incarceration reduces the probability of high school completion and increases the probability of incarceration later in life;
The total number of children of incarcerated parents was approximately 2.7 million, representing 1 in 28 children;
70% of incarcerated citizens read below a fourth grade level;
85% of all juveniles who interface with the juvenile court system are functionally low-literate;
Children of incarcerated parents (CIPs) are about three times as likely to become justice-involved as non-CIPs;
Incarceration can have long-lasting, severely damaging effects on mental health—but improving emotional regulation skills can reduce recidivism;
Comic books encourage reading and foster literacy;
Literacy and art programs reduce recidivism and help build mastery.

By combining comics, art, literacy, tutorials, and emotional regulation skills all in one book designed for individual ownership, COMIC is an incredibly effective and simple tool for incarcerated and other justice-impacted individuals.