Creative Research Initiatives
What is the program
The Y Write Project was established in 2019 in response to the Inquiry into Youth Detention and Correctional Systems. It brings together researchers from across disciplines—including creative arts, organisational psychology, and Indigenous education—at Charles Darwin University.
The project was developed as a critical and creative response to the criminal punishment system, with a focus on contributing to justice reform through academic research, community engagement, and creative practice.
Working collaboratively with justice-affected women, the program integrates visual arts, yarning practices, and mentorship frameworks to support personal reflection and social wellbeing.
A core outcome of the program has been the creation of seven large-scale murals within Darwin Correctional Centre, alongside additional workshops and outreach programs in Townsville.
What is our purpose
Y Write advocates for a shift from punitive systems toward education-based models of rehabilitation.
The project aims to:
- Promote education over incarceration as a transformative model
- Support rehabilitation and reconciliation for system-affected individuals
- Develop pathways beyond prison, including education, training, and community reintegration
- Centre lived experience through creative expression and storytelling
At its core, Y Write positions Charles Darwin University as a community-based university, supporting people with lived experience of incarceration through accessible and ongoing opportunities.
Who do we work with
The project primarily works with women at Darwin Correctional Precinct, while also offering:
- Consultancy for correctional education programs
- Curriculum design for justice settings
- Collaborative creative research across institutions
Y Write continues to expand its reach, welcoming participants and collaborators across diverse correctional and community contexts.
Program Leadership
- Adelle Sefton- Rowston (Project lead)
- Tracy Woodroff
- Kai Stevens (Alabama Prison Arts and Education Project)
- Partners connected to the Bard Prison Initiative
- International collaborators across the United States and the United Kingdom
Global Collaborations & Stakeholders
Alabama Prison Arts and Education Project
The Alabama Prison Arts + Education Project at Auburn University APAEP offers access to educational opportunities to people currently and formerly incarcerated across the state.
Vera Institute of Justice
Vera brings researchers, organizers, and government leaders together to create evidence-based solutions that build thriving communities and end mass incarceration.
Incarceration Nations Network
A global network that supports, instigates and popularizes innovative prison reform and justice reimagining efforts around the world.
Beyond Bars (Justice arts initiative)
Bridging the gap between creativity and rehabilitation, Beyond Bars Arts Initiative (BBAI) empowers inmates through art, transforming lives and fostering a future filled with possibility.
Our next steps
Y Write sits at the intersection of creative research and social impact.
Story Work (Current Focus)
The project is currently developing a body of work centred on “story work”, including:
- Collecting and sharing acts of kindness within prison communities
- Exploring how individuals support one another in environments structured around punishment
- Publishing collaborative works with system-affected writers
This work challenges dominant narratives of incarceration by highlighting care, resilience, and community within prison spaces.
Digital Archive (In Development)
A major future initiative is the creation of a: Digital Archive of Prison Writing in Australia
This archive will:
- Document Australia’s literary history of prison writing
- Position prison writing as a distinct and evolving genre
- Provide global access to stories that illuminate the lived realities of incarceration
The archive aims to support readers, researchers, and policymakers in reimagining justice through literature.
Research and Publications
Creative Writing And Storytelling With Woman Behind Bars
"This is a really critical time to consider education instead of incarceration"
Flowers grow bigger and brighter in prison
These are true stories about how kindness is a form of protest, a way to retain your humanity within these soulless walls.
