Prison theatre: An enabler of change?
Prison theatre is a new form of rehabilitation in Finland. This study examines the effect of prison theatre on the participants and prison guards by interviewing prisoners (N = 8) who took part in two prison theatre projects directed by the non-governmental organization Taittuu ry, and prison guards (N = 11) working in the prisons at the time of the projects. In the interviews the participants reported, among other things, increased openness and courage, improved self-esteem, increased appreciation towards others, overcoming fear and enhanced ability to function as positive effects of the prison theatre. The results resonate with prison theatre studies conducted abroad. The prison guards viewed the impact on the prisoners mainly as positive or neutral.