Hope comes to Washington prison facilities through music, supportive listening sessions
The Washington Statewide Reentry Council hosted Concerts for Hope and Listening Circles at four prison facilities across the state this spring in partnership with the Department of Corrections.
Musicians and Washington State Department of Corrections staff at the Concerts for Hope event at Washington Corrections Center in Shelton on May 28. (Photo courtesy of the Washington State Department of Corrections)
The Statewide Reentry Council is part of the Department of Commerce. It was created in 2016 to improve public safety and outcomes for individuals reentering the community.
“These events give those experiencing incarceration an opportunity to feel valued,” said Janel McFeat, the council’s executive director. “It is rare for prisons to host this type of event, so it is often an emotional moment for those who attend.”
The events were held in Corrections facilities at Aberdeen, Shelton, Monroe and Purdy. The event allowed the audience of incarcerated people to find some calmness and reflect.