Boy sex offenders make art car
clarkkent...@yahoo.com
Advertise Win an iPod!
--> Dateline Alabama | APN
Art car fuels pride for young offenders in three Southern states
By SAMIRA JAFARI
Associated Press Writer
May 02, 2005
"You da man, Mr. Lipscomb! You da man!" shout the boys, a few of the
some 120 juvenile sex offenders at the youth detention facility in Mt.
Meigs.
Under guidance from Lipscomb, the boys are painting the front third of
the 1996 Buick LeSabre. Youthful offenders in Mississippi and Louisiana
will finish off the car for a spot in the annual Art Car Parade in
Houston May 14. It will then be sold for a charity - part of a
hands-on, creative program aimed at teaching self-respect,
accountability and teamwork as they move into adulthood.
Lipscomb noted the image of shattering glass emerging from the painted
design on the hood. "A lot of times, if you read into their therapy -
they come from broken homes. This kind of reflects that," he said
Tuesday. But, he added, "it's something they can take pride in."
For some, like a 17-year-old Tuscaloosa boy convicted of sodomy at 14,
working on art projects is a way to connect to adult authority figures
and paint over a troubled childhood. The teen, whose name was withheld
under confidentiality laws in the juvenile court system, says he was
sexually and physically abused by family members until he "felt numb"
emotionally.
"I really trusted nobody. I used to hold everything in. I can make good
eye contact now," says the teen, who has spent over a year in youth
detention.
The boys are serving time in the Accountability Based Sex Offender
Program run by Barry Burkhart, a psychology professor at Auburn
University, and Raymond Sumrall, director of the University of
Alabama's social work school. The pair assesses each juvenile offender
sent to Mt. Meigs and directly works with about 45 of them - a quarter
of whom are in the 9-12 age group.
A half dozen from the Burkhart and Sumrall group volunteered to work on
the car project, dubbed ArtCarTraz - a bit of wordplay with the famed
prison at Alcatraz. The car will be auctioned after the parade, with
proceeds going to Saving Kids of Incarcerated Parents, or SKIP.
The car was purchased for $3,000 in Montgomery by Ann Kristoff, a
former publicist for Electra Records, who said she wanted to "break the
cycle" of juvenile offenders spending their adult lives in prison.
"I know the car is going to a parade. It's like giving back to the
community, or something like that," the 17-year-old says.
A fellow group member, a 16-year-old convicted of sexual misconduct at
11, says, "I feel like I grew up here. I, you know, matured here."
Projects, like ArtCarTraz, are a way to overcome anger and "do
something I like to do, something constructive," he says.
The car will leave Mt. Meigs on Wednesday for painting by juvenile
offenders in Raymond, Miss., on Thursday and Friday, then to Bridge
City, La., where youthful offenders will finish the creative paint job
next Monday and Tuesday. The car will join some 200 other jazzed-up
vehicles for the 17th annual Houston art car parade, which draws a wide
range of entrants, not just those done by young offenders.
Burkhart said that since 1999, all the juvenile sex offenders at Mt.
Meigs have received education and therapy, as well as art and
literature classes with authors from the Alabama Writer's Forum, which
promotes literature through public service, and independent artists,
such as Lipscomb.
Burkhart said hands-on projects that promote teamwork also force the
boys "to hold each other accountable" for their behavior.
"What really works with these kids is creative expression," Burkhart
said. "Look outside, and they're like bees around honey. They're
interested in their work, they're having a good time."
Experts say there are many benefits to including arts within
corrections programs. Such projects make taking responsibility, setting
short- and long-term goals and patience second nature, said Grady
Hillman, founder of the Southwest Correctional Arts Network, which is
sponsoring the ArtCarTraz car for the Houston parade.
The boys working on the car Tuesday envisioned careers in art and
graphic design, much like that of their role model, Lipscomb. One of
them, a 17-year-old Mexican immigrant who says he "got in trouble"
during a visit to Alabama, wants to reconnect with his family after
nearly two years at Mt. Meigs and start a career in the United States.
"This is good because you learn something you never knew before. I
never done this before," he says. "I'm going to be an artist, you know,
get into graphics."