Measurement Instruments

Several questionnaires were created in order to obtain data on the perception of the prison environment, taking into account the specificities of each institution as well as the specificities of the sample of respondents:

• Questionnaire on the perception of the prison environment for inmates in the Prison in Osijek - before and after performing artistic interventions.

• Questionnaire on the perception of the prison environment for prison officers in the Prison in Osijek - before and after performing artistic interventions.

• Questionnaire on the perception of the prison environment for inmates in the Prison in Karlovac - before and after performing artistic interventions.

• Questionnaire on the perception of the prison environment for prison officers in the Prison in Karlovac - before and after performing artistic interventions.

• Questionnaire on the perception of the prison environment for inmates in the Penitentiary in Lepoglava - before and after performing artistic interventions.

• Questionnaire on the perception of the prison environment for prison officers in the Penitentiary in Lepoglava - before and after performing artistic interventions.

• Satisfaction questionnaire for the workshops conducted with minors in the Correctional Institution in Turopolje.

The questionnaires administered before implementing the artistic interventions consisted of 12 variables, while those examining the perception of the prison environment after painting the murals consisted of 10 variables and were the same for all penal institutions. It should be noted that, in addition to structured variables, the survey questionnaires also included open-ended questions in terms of providing suggestions for improving the external and internal spaces of penal institutions and the possibility of giving suggestions, proposals and advice to the project implementers, for the purpose of better designing future projects of similar content.

The satisfaction questionnaire for the workshops conducted at the Correctional Institution in Turopolje consisted of 10 variables and also included the possibility of entering suggestions and impressions from the workshops.

Data Processing Methods

The data were processed using the SPSS for Windows v27 software, employing methods of descriptive analysis and chi-square test to determine the differences in the perception of the prison environment by the inmates and prison officers across different penal institutions.

Since no statistically significant differences were found in the perception of the prison environment by the inmates and prison officers across different penal institutions, the data is presented cumulatively for all penal institutions, in three units:

• Perception of the prison environment by inmatesbefore and after artistic interventions

• Perception of the prison environment by prison staffbefore and after artistic interventions

• Satisfaction with the workshops held at the Correctional Institution in Turopolje

Perception of the Prison Environment by Inmates - Penitentiary in Lepoglava, Prison in Osijek and Prison in Karlovac

Before performing artistic interventions

The survey on the perception of the prison environment of penal institutions included 48 offenders. As shown in Graph 1, inmates from the Penitentiary in Lepoglava were the most represented in the sample. The majority of respondents in the sample were male (93.8), which was to be expected since the majority of respondents came from the Penitentiary in Lepoglava, where male offenders serve their prison sentences (41.7%). Additionally, the share of male offenders in penal institutions was much higher compared to female offenders. In this sample, women were represented with only 6.2%. The most represented age group in the sample were offenders under the age of 30 (35.4%) and those aged between 31 and 40 (28%). The majority of respondents completed high school (68.6%).

Graph 1

Representation of respondents in the sample across the penal institutions

Representation of respondents across the penal institutions

Prison in Osijek

Prison in Karlovac

Penitentiary in Lepoglava

As shown in Graph 2, the majority of respondents saw the premises of the penal institution where they were serving their sentence as unpleasant (44%) and uninteresting (35%), while only a small number of respondents would define the said premises as pleasant.

Graph 2

Describing the premises of penal institutions before painting the murals

How would you describe the premises of the penal institution?

A large number of respondents (81.2%) believed that performing artistic interventions in the premises of penal institutions would contribute to a better adaptation to prison life.

The majority of respondents (75%) considered the interior and exterior renovation of penal institutions (e.g., painting the murals, changing the colour of doors and windows, investing in new furniture, etc.), and 83.4% of them believed that interior and exterior renovation was very important and urgently needed.

Furthermore, a vast majority of respondents (89.6%) agreed with the statement that painting the murals on the walls of a penal institution would contribute to a sense of comfort when staying in that space and that performing artistic interventions in the premises of penal institutions would contribute to a better adaptation to prison life, as well as reducing stress (81.2%).

In conclusion, and in line with other responses, 84% of surveyed offenders supported the initiative of the project Colours of Reality to paint the murals in the premises of penal institutions.

Since the questionnaires on the perception of the prison environment provided the opportunity to give comments and suggestions related to the initiative of painting murals on the walls of penal institutions, some of the respondents took advantage of this opportunity and contributed to this research with their comments and suggestions:

• “It would be good to use bright colours, invest in the renovation of the TV room and technology... create a feeling of home.” (Penitentiary in Lepoglava)

• “I don’t have any particular ideas, but any change is welcome because it is monotonous.” (Penitentiary in Lepoglava)

• “On the wall in the hallway in front of the church, paint sacred motifs, and on the wall of the music section, paint musical motifs.” (Penitentiary in Lepoglava)

• “As much floral graffiti as possible, cheerful colours with certain motifs.” (Penitentiary in Lepoglava)

• “It is necessary to paint the walls, renovate the bathrooms and kitchenettes as well as the TV room.” (Penitentiary in Lepoglava)

• “Keep going, we all support you, I would even help.” (Penitentiary in Lepoglava)

• “I think it is more important to renovate the dormitories and the doors and windows.” (Prison in Karlovac)

• “It is necessary to repaint all the walls and fix the showers.” (Prison in Karlovac)

• “A gilded cage is still a cage.” (Prison in Osijek)

It should be noted that a certain number of respondents took the opportunity to emphasize that, in addition to painting the murals, it was also necessary to take care of other aspects of spatial planning, such as fixing a leaky roof, replacing worn-out furniture, replacing showers, renovating the staircase and the ground floor at Zvijezda in Penitentiary in Lepoglava and the like.

The experience of the prison environment after performing artistic interventions

The survey on the perception of the prison environment after the performed artistic interventions included 47 male inmates in three penal institutions - Penitentiary in Lepoglava (45.7%), Prison in Karlovac (32.6%) and Prison in Osijek (21.7%). In the sample, the most represented respondents were under the age of 30 (37%) and between the ages of 31 and 40 (22%) with completed secondary education (80%).

After the artists performed artistic interventions in the premises (painting the murals in the penal institutions), a large number of respondents (83%) stated that the said interventions had a positive impact on the feeling of comfort during their stay in the premises and that they felt more comfortable in that space (76% of the respondents).

Graph 3

Describing the premises of penal institutions after painting the murals

How would you describe the premises after painting the murals?

As visible from Graph 3, a large majority of inmates (61%) be lieved that after the walls were painted, the space of the penal institution became more pleasant, fulfilling and interesting (22%).

Similarly, 83% of inmates believed that performing artistic interventions in the penal institution where they were serving their prison sentences was a good idea and that was much needed. After the walls were painted, the inmates were asked to evaluate the impact of the artistic interventions on certain aspects of their stay in prison, after a few weeks had passed. Thus, 84% of the inmates stated that they felt more comfortable in these premises, and 78.6% of them believed that the implemented artistic interventions reduced their stress levels. Nearly 83% of the respondents believed that the other penal institutions in the prison system of the Republic of Croatia should also be painted.

Comments and suggestions from respondents after performing artistic interventions:

• “Considering the motif on the wall in the library hallway, i.e., ward 3A - it is cold and does not fit in this type of institution. We need to stimulate the serotonin of happiness and joy here, and that was successfully done in ward 4A.” (Penitentiary in Lepoglava)

• “In my opinion, the walls should be painted with vibrant images, because I find them pleasant to look at, and that would include, for example, some characters, animals, nature, because such images create a pleasant atmosphere.” (Penitentiary in Lepoglava)

• “It would be good to paint a larger part of the Penitentiary. Especially the wards where inmates spend the most time. I’m referring to the TV rooms and hallways in the wards.” (Penitentiary in Lepoglava)

• “The painting process was great! Decorate more walls, not just one. Treatment rooms and TV rooms can also be decorated.” (Penitentiary in Lepoglava)

• “I think there should be more such murals to break the monotony and add freshness to the space.” (Penitentiary in Lepoglava)

• “I suggest painting the wall in the kitchen and the prison dining room” (Penitentiary in Lepoglava)

• “Keep going, congratulations on your efforts!” (Penitentiary in Lepoglava)

• “We would like to thank all the people who invested their time to make this space more pleasant!” (Penitentiary in Lepoglava)

The inmates’ comments clearly show that they were satisfied with the idea of painting the murals and had suggestions in which direction artistic interventions in the space should be continued - the respondents from the Penitentiary in Lepoglava clearly stated which part of the building they think still needed to be decorated.

Perception of the prison environment by prison system officers - Penitentiary in Lepoglava, Prison in Osijek and Prison in Karlovac

Before performing artistic interventions

Fifty officers participated in the survey on the perception of the premises of the penal institutions before performing artistic interventions, of which 40% were from the Penitentiary in Lepoglava, 34% from the Prison in Karlovac and 26% from the Prison in Osijek (Graph 4), with an equal ratio of women and men. The largest number of respondents were between 41 and 50 years old (44% of respondents), and 29% were between 51 and 60 years old. The highest number of respondents worked in the Department of Security (44%) and in the Treatment Department (30%), as shown in Graph 5.

Graph 4

Share of respondents with regard to the penal institution

Distribution of respondents with regard to the penal institution

Prison in Osijek

Prison in Karlovac

Penitentiary in Lepoglava

Graph 5

Share of respondents with regard to the department in which they are employed

As can be seen from Graph 6, the majority of the surveyed officers saw the premises of the penal institutions where they worked as uninteresting, empty and repulsive. Only 14% of the respondents, mainly from the Department of Security, see their workplace as pleasant. Given this perception of the prison environment, it is not surprising that 68% of respondents thought about interior and exterior redesign, and 82% of them thought that the redesign of the space of the penal institution where they work was very important and urgently needed.

Graph 6

Describing the premises of penal institutions before painting the murals

How would you describe the premises of the penal institution before painting the murals?

More than half of the respondents (68%) believed that performing artistic interventions (painting the murals) in the penal institutions would contribute to a sense of comfort during their stay in that space, and 64% believed that this would also be useful for better adaptation of inmates to prison life. 68% of the surveyed officers believed that artistic interventions would promote a better atmosphere and reduce the level of stress in the institution. Respondents who did not agree with these statements were represented in a smaller proportion (12 - 16%) and mainly came from the ranks of the Department of Security.

The vast majority of surveyed officers (84%) supported the initiative of the Colours of Reality project to paint murals in the premises of penal institutions.

In the space perception questionnaires, the officials of the penal institutions also had the opportunity to give comments and suggestions, and some of them took advantage of it. In the Space Perception Questionnaire before performing artistic interventions, the officers expressed themselves through the following comments:

• “There is a larger number of inmates in the Penitentiary in Lepoglava who have shown talent in drawing and painting during their free time activities, and I believe that engaging such inmates would significantly contribute to the purposeful use of their free time, development of their talent, and enriching the space of the prison cell.”

(Treatment Department, Penitentiary in Lepoglava)

• “Colours affect people’s mood. A person feels better in a pleasant space, and inmates spend an average of 13.6 years here. When I feel bad, someone’s smile that costs nothing always helps me, but also any nice thing I notice. Well, that beautiful thing can also be a painting. We have carvings in the Penitentiary (figurines), I often pet them because they seem sad to me. We need cheerful colours and cheerful paintings in the Penitentiary...” (Treatment Department, Penitentiary in Lepoglava)

• “Before painting the murals, the windows on the walkway through which the inmates are visually monitored need to be changed.” (Department of Security, Penitentiary in Lepoglava)

• “Before painting the murals, it is necessary to invest in the security aspect, such as changing electrical installations, construction works, changing bars and the like.” (Department of Security, Penitentiary in Lepoglava)

• “It is necessary to paint the walls in the outdoor and indoor spaces of the Prison, change the windows and doors, change the furniture.” (Department of Financial Accounting, Prison in Karlovac)

• “Complete adaptation for energy efficiency is needed.” (Department of Security, Prison in Karlovac)

• “To change the administrative building in terms of aesthetics and functionality.” (Prison in Osijek)

• “Renovating the facade, furniture, windows, parquet, tiles, complete reconstruction of toilets, painting walls...” (Prison in Osijek)

• “Renovate the interior walls of the Prison Administration, renovate the external walls on the so-called inmates’ walkway in order to visually improve the living conditions of inmates.” (Prison in Osijek)

From the above comments made by the officers, it is apparent that they partly coincide with the comments of the inmates, especially in regard to the complete adaptation of the space and investment in windows and doors and reconstruction of toilets. Although the Colours of Reality project does not include the aspect related to replacing the external and internal doors and windows, installations, tiles and the like, it is important to emphasize this aspect of the arrangement as it certainly affects the perception of the prison environment and the atmosphere in penal institutions.

After performing artistic interventions

Forty-four officers participated in the perception of the prison environment survey after the artistic interventions. The majority of respondents were from the Penitentiary in Lepoglava (43%), followed by the Prison in Karlovac (31.8%) and the Prison in Osijek (25%). The sample consisted of 47.8% men and 52.2% women, mostly aged between 41 and 50 (43% of the respondents), and 26% of the respondents aged between 51 and 60. As seen in Graph 7, the largest number of respondents worked in the Department of Security (43.2%) and the Treatment Department (25%).

Graph 7

Share of respondents with regard to the department in which they work Distribution of respondents by departments

The prison system officers were asked about the way they perceived the space of the penal institution in which they worked, after the artistic interventions were implemented, and the vast majority (80%) believed that the said interventions had a positive effect on the feeling of comfort when staying in that space, while 16% of the respondents could not assess this. After the murals were painted, the majority of respondents perceived the space differently, with 48% of respondents finding the prison space pleasant and 36.4% finding it fulfilling and interesting (Graph 8). Only a small number of respondents (4.5%) thought that the space was the same as before the murals were painted. The vast majority of officers (82.4%) also believed that painting the murals in the premises of the penal institution where they worked was a good idea and much needed.

Graph 8

Perception of the prison environment in penal institutions after painting the How would you describe the premises after painting the murals?

Respondents were asked to evaluate, after some time had passed, the impact of artistic interventions on certain aspects of their stay in these premises, and 75% of the interviewed officers stated that the painting of the murals contributed to the feeling of comfort while staying in the space, and 78% believed that the interventions had reduced stress and created a better atmosphere. In accordance with the above, 77% of respondents believed that murals should be painted in other penal institutions in the Republic of Croatia.

It is important to note that there are no statistically significant differences in the perception of the prison environment before and after the painting of the murals in the penal institutions that were part of this project. However, differences in the perception of the prison environment were observed based on the department where the officials worked. Specifically, the officers from the Department of Security had slightly more negative attitudes towards painting the murals in the penal institutions and were more likely to believe that this was not necessary. These attitudes were more pronounced among male officers compared to female officers in the same department. These results are expected and consistent with the results of all previous studies on the perception of the prison environment of penal institutions before and after mural painting and can be explained by the more retributive attitudes of the Department of Security officers compared to the Treatment Department officers, who have a more pronounced rehabilitative component due to the nature of the work. Nonetheless, there were small (but significant) shifts in the attitudes of the Department of Security. Namely, the results of this project indicate a (somewhat) lower percentage of the Department of Security officers expressing negative attitudes towards such and similar projects. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the projects of painting murals in the penal institutions have been ongoing for several years, and the officers have become more sensitized over time.

Comments of the officers after painting the murals:

“Excellent idea! Penal institutions are characterized by greyness, which is also present in the inmates themselves (sadness, loneliness). I find colours or anything that can contribute to a better feeling for our inmates, very necessary. A commendable project!” (Treatment Department, Penitentiary in Lepoglava)

“The project is praiseworthy, but I think that it is necessary to involve the inmates themselves in its implementation.”

(Treatment Department, Penitentiary in Lepoglava)

“I think that inmates with creative abilities should be involved in this project in order to preserve existing and develop new resources” (Treatment Department, Penitentiary in Lepoglava) “It would be good to extend the project to include social welfare institutions” (Treatment Department, Penitentiary in Lepoglava) “A job well done!” (Department of Security, Prison in Osijek)

From the officers’ comments after the implementation of the artistic interventions in the space, it can be concluded that they were satisfied with the work done and that they agreed with some comments made by the inmates serving their sentences in the Penitentiary in Lepoglava, which go in the direction of involving inmates in carrying out artistic interventions.

Satisfaction with the workshops held at the Correctional Institution in Turopolje

The workshop Graffiti Is Art, Not Vandalism was held in September 2022. The workshops were carried out in two groups of 6 participants each, over two days (a total of 4 days of the workshop were held). The concept of the workshop included: getting to know the history of graffiti art, getting to know materials, making sketches, and making a graffiti intervention called Turopolje in My Heart.

The workshop that was held at the Correctional Institution in Turopolje had 12 male participants with an average age of 18. Half of the respondents did not complete primary school, and 41.7% of them completed secondary school.

More than half of the respondents (58%) stated that they were extremely interested in participating in the workshops, while 25% were moderately interested. 16% of respondents were unable to assess their level of interest.

It is important to note that the majority of respondents (84%) expressed a high degree of satisfaction with the workshops they participated in, and 78% of them were satisfied with their activity at the workshops. The rest of the sample could not assess their satisfaction with their engagement.

84% of respondents stated that the workshops enabled them to learn something new. It is important to note that the vast majority of respondents at the Correctional Institution in Turopolje (94%) found such workshops useful and thought they should be held in the future, and 83% of participants thought that this was a good way to spend their free time at the Correctional Institution.

Similarly, the majority of respondents (76%) believed that now the premises of the Correctional Institution in Turopolje were more pleasant to stay in, while the others could not assess this.

As previously mentioned, the survey on satisfaction with the held workshops also offered additional opportunities to give free comments and suggestions at the end. The minors mostly mentioned graffiti drawing as the best part of the workshops, and not a single participant made any negative comments. Following are some of their comments:

• “I liked it the most when we spray-painted the letters and made them, and even more when I tagged myself... in any case, I felt good when we were drawing that.”

• “I liked the most when we talked about how it all started with drawing graffiti, it was very interesting.”

• “What I liked most was when I was making graffiti.”

• “I liked it the most when we made graffiti.”

• “I liked it when the workshop leader tagged my name.”

Final Considerations

The analysis of the results clearly shows that the majority of inmates, as well as officers, had a positive experience with painting the murals in the penal institutions and that the perception of the prison environment after painting them was better than the perception of the prison environment as it was before. No statistically significant differences were found between penal institutions, and the results have been presented cumulatively for all penal institutions.

Both inmates and officers considered the space before the mural painting to be mostly empty, unappealing and uninteresting, while after performing the artistic interventions, this perception changed and the majority of them stated that the space was more pleasant to stay in, more interesting and engaging. Likewise, the majority of the total sample believed that a space decorated in this way could contribute to a better adaptation of inmates to prison life, a better atmosphere and, ultimately, to stress reduction. The officers from the Treatment Department were somewhat more positively oriented compared to the officers from the Department of Security, in that they expressed a more positive impact of the artistic interventions on the stay in the institution. However, it should be pointed out that this is the first survey (out of four previously conducted) in which a certain level of sensitization of the Department of Security officers to the implementation of artistic interventions was noticed, which we consider to be a very important and positive shift.

What respondents continuously stated in their comments at the end of the questionnaire was the importance of taking care of other aspects of the space, such as adaptation, changing flooring and tiles, sanitary facilities, interior and exterior doors and windows, installations, and the like. These results need to be taken into account when designing the financing policy of penal institutions and to invest funds in the adaptation of the internal and external space of penal institutions.

This project, like the previous one, got the green light from the respondents, who thought that this initiative of painting the murals on the walls of penal institutions was a very good idea and recommended that such projects continue and that other penal institutions in the Croatian prison system be painted as well. In addition, in their suggestions, the respondents mentioned some other spaces within the institutions that needed to be painted and expressed hope that this would be done within the framework of this or similar projects, which, according to the results of this survey, are of invaluable importance.

Nakladnik/Publisher: Hrvatsko društvo likovnih umjetnika/Croatian Association of Fine Artists, Trg žrtava fašizma 16, 10 000 Zagreb, hdlu@hdlu. hr, www.hdlu.hr

Za nakladnika/For the Publisher: Tomislav Buntak, Predsjednik/President

Ravnateljica/Director:

Ivana Andabaka

Autorica i voditeljica projekta/ Project Author and Manager:

Melinda Šefčić, dr. art./PhD

Asistentica na projektu/ Project Assistant: Zrinka Bačić

Umjetnici/Artists:

Ana Ratković Sobota , Damir Sobota, Goran Rakić, Jasmina Krajačić, Krešimir Golubić, Mario Miličić, Melinda Šefčić, Monika Meglić, Nikolina Manojlović Vračar, Tea Jurišić, Valentina Supanz Marinić, Vida Meić

Istraživači/Researchers: Anita Jandrić Niševic, dr.sc./PhD, Melinda Šefčić, dr. art./PhD

Predgovor/Preface:

Melinda Šefčić, dr. art./PhD

Autori tekstova/Text Authors: Anita Jandrić Nišević, dr.sc./PhD, Melinda Šefčić, dr. art./PhD

Urednica kataloga/Catalogue Editor: Melinda Šefčić, dr. art./PhD

Vizualni identitet i grafičko oblikovanje kataloga/Visual Identity and Catalogue Design: Duje Medić

Fotografija/Photography:

Ivo Kosanović, Goran Rakić, Marko Dajak

Prijevod i lektura/ Translation and Proofreading: Zana Šaškin

Tisak/Printed by: Kerschoffset d.o.o.

Naklada/Print Run: 250

ISBN: 978-953-8098-67-3

CIP: zapis je dostupan na računalnome katalogu Nacionalne i sveučilišne knjižnice u Zagrebu pod brojem 001175234.

CIP: record is available in the computer catalogue of the National and University Library in Zagreb under the number 001175234.

Zahvale/Acknowledgments:

Ministarstvo pravosuđa i uprave Republike Hrvatske, Kaznionica u Lepoglavi, Odgojni zavod u Turopolju, Zatvor u Bjelovaru, Zatvor u Karlovcu, Zatvor u Osijeku/

Ministry of Justice and Administration of the Republic of Croatia, Penitentiary in Lepoglava, Correctional Institution in Turopolje, Prison in Bjelovar, Prison in Karlovac, Prison in Osijek

Uz potporu/Financially Supported by: Ministarstva pravosuđa i uprave Republike Hrvatske/

Ministry of Justice and Public Administration of the Republic of Croatia