The Arts Justice Safety Coalition (AJSC) is a collaborative initiative spearheaded by The Confined Arts (TCA) in partnership with the Phoenix Players Theatre Group, Recess Art, and Professional Artist Hannah Viederman. Dedicated to fostering a transformative intersection between art and justice system reform, AJSC unites artists, arts organizations, and justice practitioners in the New York and New Jersey Region. Through co-learning, financial support, and amplification efforts, the coalition seeks to elevate art as a powerful catalyst for systemic, cultural, and social change.

diversity, equity and inclusion

AJSC is made up of new and existing community-based artists, particularly those with justice involvement, young adults, students, advocates, teaching artists, practitioners, legal advocates, and organizations. The Arts, Justice, and Safety Coalition provides a platform for learning about entrepreneurship, community enhancement, and leveraging the arts to counter the impact of the criminal legal system.

PROJECTS & INITIATIVES

coalition membership

AJSC adopts a no-strings-attached membership model, defining two tiers of coalition members.
  • Tier 1 includes individual artists or arts organizations that have participated in special projects or public programming events hosted by or in partnership with Isaac’s Quarterly, LLC, or The Confined Arts.
  • Tier 2 encompasses registered members, consisting of individual artists or arts organizations that have completed the registration process through the Google form below. 

POLICY GOAL & Objective

ARTS JUSTICE SAFETY COALITION POLICY GOAL
​Our coalition seeks to advance alternative to incarceration (ATI) possibilities by positioning the arts as a necessary tool in prevention, pre-trial, supervised release, and post-conviction sentencing options by utilizing trauma-informed arts practices to inform public safety strategies and to center the humanity of individuals who are system-impacted. 

ARTS JUSTICE SAFETY COALITION POLICY OBJECTIVES
  • diminish the popular narratives and attitudes that drive the punishment paradigm,
  • foster collective healing through restorative approaches and,
  • Provide capacity building tools for self-advocacy and entrepreneurship. ​