'Leaving behind something beautiful.' See what women inmates at Barnstable jail paint

County jails are known for many things, and art is not typically one of them.

But at the Barnstable County Correctional Facility, off Route 28 in Bourne adjacent to Joint Base Cape Cod, a group of women inmates have been painting a mural for the last month in a recently refurbished cell block.

On a formerly blank, eggshell white wall, the scene of a lush landscape spans about 20-feet left to right — around a dozen women clad in their inmate fatigues busied themselves finishing details Monday morning and talking amongst each other.

“We are painting change,” said an inmate named Jessica, painting a tree in the likeness of a woman with butterfly wings. As such, the mural has been titled “Metamorphosis.”

Another woman named Tiana painted alongside Jessica, the both of them worked on the tree — smiling — and spoke of community, strength and recovery.

“We're painting a little bit of ourselves in the mural as well, leaving behind all the change and growth that we've learned here for the next women who will unfortunately be coming in,” Tiana said. “But it gives you something brighter to look at, both figuratively and literally, instead of just these blank walls.”

Jessica said she had been incarcerated at the Barnstable County jail since March, and Tiana said she had been incarcerated nearly a year.

“It will be a year next month, but I’ll get to go home after that,” Tiana said. “But I’ll be leaving this behind, and you’ll know that it was a group of women who did this.”

Part of a broader 90-day program

Deemed a form of art therapy for the women, the mural is part of a broader 90-day program introduced by Barnstable County Sheriff Donna Buckley called the Women’s Therapeutic Treatment Program.

“The model for this here is my absolute belief that corrections is not punishment,” said Buckley, who was elected to her position in 2022. “If we as a society say to someone that whatever they did, we can’t be comfortable leaving them in the community, then we as a society have a responsibility to guide them on how to get back into the community.”

Everyday for the past 90 days, mornings have begun at 8:30 a.m. with a meeting that can involve a variety of therapeutic activities or groups. Three to four more meetings follow throughout the day, including parenting classes, case management, 12-step meetings, yoga, creative and memoir writing, harm reduction, substance recovery groups and spiritual groups.

Barbara Clarkson, chief of inmate services and programs for the sheriff’s office, said volunteers this summer will be teaching classes on subjects like African-American studies, business and financial literacy.

“In the beginning, we talked about what would be the things that you all possibly would want to be working on,” Clarkson said of the women. “And it was teamwork, listening skills and collaboration. And for some of you watching this, (you will see) that they’ve not only done that, but I feel like they’ve exceeded their goals.”

49 children between them

Many of the women taking part in the mural’s painting are mothers, and a core aspect of their recovery has been retaining custody of their children, Buckley said. There are 33 women total participating in the program, and she said they have 49 children between them.

Buckley said this program addresses the dual role many women play as both victims and perpetrators of domestic violence, with many having experienced childhood abuse and abuse during addiction. She said it provides a safe space to discuss difficult topics such as sexual abuse and sex trafficking, teaching strategies to manage trauma-based triggers without substance use.

“We have some programs like this for men already, but women face particularly challenging odds,” Buckley said. “Women suffer tremendous guilt and shame related to their addictions, regarding how those behaviors may have harmed their children. Therefore, the (program) specializes in helping them overcome shame, reestablish relationships and build self-esteem.”

Leaving a message behind

Of the nearly dozen or so women taking part in the painting on Monday, only Jessica and Tiana agreed to give their names and be interviewed. When asked why, Jessica said it was to leave behind a message to the women who will follow after her.

“You know, women kind of have that reputation of being kind of catty, and fighting, and we do that too sometimes,” she laughed.

“Yeah, don’t let her fool you,” said Tiana, chiming in and laughing as well.

“But we can work together, make something good happen and leave behind something beautiful for the next women,” Jessica said. “We know what it’s like to sit inside these cells, to sit with ourselves.”

Walker Armstrong reports on all things Cape and Islands, primarily focusing on courts, transportation and the Joint Base Cape Cod military base. Contact him at WArmstrong@capecodonline.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jd__walker.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Women inmates at Barnstable jail turn blank walls into art