The New York Times gives space to D. Nurkse and creative writing workshops for kids in custody. The article links to the poems of 6 teenage inmates at Rikers Island.
D. Nurkse writes (excerpt):
In 1998 I was hired to lead poetry workshops at Island Academy, one of three public schools on Rikers Island. The first time I taught creative writing there, I suggested a broad theme: “My Life.” I watched a teenager smooth out a piece of paper and write those words at the top, then his street name, then his name. An hour later he was still writing.