“It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails.” — Nelson Mandela

In recent years in Mexico, more and more professional theatre companies have been founded by inmates in prisons. This boom is due to the fact that theatre has proven to have positive effects on those who take part in the creation process.

The artists who teach in jails do it for two reasons. First, they believe—and have experienced themselves—how powerful theatre can be as a “liberating” tool: even though the inmates are not physically free, they learn to free their hearts and souls. Second, the Mexican government has paid more attention to stage art thanks to the constant work of the theatre company at the Santa Martha Acatitla penitentiary, which has been working for nine years to make the prison theatre—and its impact—visible. Through theatre, inmates learn to express their emotions without being judged, which allows them to get to know themselves better, and they learn to work as a team and trust others. Former inmates who have worked in theatre are able to better reintegrate into society; some of them even continue to work in the medium.

When it comes to teaching theatre in prisons, without question Jorge Correa, distinguished by UNESCO as the father of prison theatre in Mexico, needs to be mentioned. He is one of the pioneers in this profession and has dedicated forty years of his life to it. In an interview he gave in Milenio, he talks about why he has devoted so much of his work to this area. His belief is that inmates are people who were innocent children once but who, due to whatever circumstances, lived through situations that forced them to isolate themselves. Deep down, though, they are good people, and through language, communication, and theatre, Correa is convinced they can change.

Through theatre, inmates learn to express their emotions without being judged, which allows them to get to know themselves better, and they learn to work as a team and trust others.

Currently, Correa is the only person who has served in almost all prisons across the country. Using a method he invented, the Theatrical System of Readaptation and Preventive Assistance (TSRPA), he creates high-quality plays starring inmates. The inmates learn the texts and choreographies, work as a team, and, most importantly, express their emotions and feelings without fear of being judged or oppressed. Correa’s work is known for bringing together members of opposing gangs or even rival cartels. He manages to get those gang members—who do not know each other but who hate each other—to work together in a peaceful way. This is a very important contribution to Mexican society, which has been hurt by drug trafficking and violence.