ABOUT RTH

MISSION

Reentry Theater of Harlem, Inc. is an independent nonprofit organization, developed by and for people who have lived experience in the U.S. criminal legal system. Our mission is to empower and support people in safe and creative spaces as they make the difficult transition from prison back to society and become positive contributors to their families and communities.

BACKGROUND

RTH utilizes art, rituals, and theatrical rites of passage to help individuals address and overcome the shame, stigma, and trauma of incarceration. This bold, imaginative, and deeply restorative approach to confronting the devastating impact of mass incarceration draws on decades of criminological literature and is grounded in cultural and artistic expression. Scholars such as Kai Erikson, Jeremy Travis and Shadd Maruna have suggested that rites of passage have great potential to restore civic identities and contribute to the healing and transformational processes of people who were incarcerated.

PROGRAM

In an intensive 12-week program, participants are challenged to explore the identity issues people struggle with after incarceration, addressing the deeply rooted emotional conflict that returning citizens experience as they work to reclaim and assert their authentic and creative selves. Throughout the process participants work together to create and enact a threshold crossing to formally mark their transition from prison back into their communities and into a new stage of life. The program culminates in a powerful theatrical experience and a communal message of transformation, healing, and hope.