Detained but Not Defined: The Role of Art Exhibitions for Incarcerated Youth Expression

When we think of children, it isn’t unusual for the word “freedom” to come into mind. We take it for granted that children are able to be free to run and play as they please, but for the 259,000 detained children around the world, this vision of childhood is only fantasy. Thousands of children each year have been incarcerated for long periods of time, often in the absence of a conviction of a crime, despite this being a violation of their right to liberty and justice. 

But these youths are much more than their incarceration. They are human beings who deserve to be seen as the unique individuals they are. Juvenile Justice Advocates International (JJAI), an organization which provides both legal and direct assistance to incarcerated youths, created the “Reflections of Dignity” project in order to introduce the voices of incarcerated youths to a global audience. 

The project’s origins come from the pandemic, when many detention centers had to shut down socially enriching programs. Douglas Keillor, the executive director of JJAI, organized the "Reflections of Dignity" project as a way to keep the children active while also helping the community interact with them by publishing their pieces, "so that people could see what the pandemic meant for kids who are incarcerated." 

JJAI provided detention centers across the United States and Mexico with the resources for youths to socialize virtually and engage in enrichment opportunities. Any detention center in the country had access to the process by logging into virtual workshops available on their site. The workshops encouraged youths to create art pieces, drawings, dances, poems, and music, and they would hold contests where the youths got to perform or display their art. JJAI then collaborated with the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago, Illinois to present the art pieces created by the detained youths.

A Global Display

JJAI had been regular attendees at the World Congress on Justice with Children, a convening of government officials, academics, and advocates—all who center their work around the goal of assisting children in justice systems. Because of the international nature of the Congress, Keillor and his team acquired pieces from Mexico, Brazil, Pakistan, Kurdistan, and Malta in order to highlight art pieces of incarcerated youths around the globe.

This June, co-sponsored by the University of Minnesota’s Human Rights Program and the Institute for Global Studies, JJAI had the opportunity to display the exhibition at the 5th World Congress on Justice with Children in Madrid, Spain. Two students, Amane Etefa (CLA ‘26) and Isabella Rusconi (CLA ’25), interned with JJAI this spring through the course, GLOS 3896: Human Rights Internship. They had the opportunity to help curate the pieces for the exhibition and join the team on their trip to Spain. “Getting to collaborate with [JJAI mentors] both here and in Madrid made the whole experience even more unique and to be honest, really fun,” said Amane, a Global Studies and Art History major. “In many places, [youth incarceration is] a way to hide away kids that society doesn’t want to deal with. They’re treated harshly, and often not given a chance to grow or access resources for change.” However, despite the struggles incarcerated youth face, Amane wants the world to know that, “These youth are more than their mistakes or their worst moment … The exhibition shows that—they’re sharing real emotions, real experiences.”   

The exhibition left a powerful impression on those present at the conference. “We were incredibly proud,” Keillor said. “We constantly saw people going through and scanning QR codes and looking at the art, and people were thrilled.” In fact, Comillas Pontifical University, who hosted the conference, requested photographs of the pieces so they could keep the exhibition up beyond the conference.

JJAI’s Beginnings

Working with incarcerated youths has always been Keillor’s passion. He studied law with a focus on incarceration and noticed that many youths in Latin America have been or are currently incarcerated without even being convicted of a crime. Keillor identified an issue with many of the local and international organizations that offered assistance to these youths: Where they provided direct assistance like therapy, there weren’t many, if any, organizations focused on shortening detention times for children who have not yet been convicted of a crime. JJAI seeks to fill this gap by providing direct support through working with local organizations to help families advocate on behalf of their children, while also providing the legal support they need to talk to judges and other coordinators of the detention centers in order to reduce their time held in jail.

An Art Piece Never Finished 

Today, 259,000 children are at risk of having their voices erased and their rights denied due to being incarcerated. The “Reflections of Dignity” project provides a much-needed avenue for self-expression for incarcerated youths, while shedding light on their unique situations, experiences, and identities. JJAI and others who advocate for the rights of incarcerated youth understand that these youths are much more than their detainment and the stigma that surrounds it, and that they deserve to be seen and to be heard. So long as they are able, JJAI plans to continue their legal advocacy for these youths, while also providing them with the resources to express themselves. To continue their advocacy work, JJAI and HRP plan to showcase the exhibition at the University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities campus this fall.

The “Reflections of Dignity” exhibition shows how art and human rights go hand in hand, as art is able to connect people across languages, cultures, and borders. Art grants the unseen the ability to be seen—it provides a voice to the voiceless without the need for words. Human rights groups must continue to support the avenues that allow victims to share their stories. This way, everyone can be seen, and everyone can be appreciated.