The Writing on The Wall

Formed in 2014, The Writing on the Wall is housed within the fabric of the radically imaginative justice work of Incarceration Nations Network (INN): a global network and think tank that supports, instigates and popularizes innovative prison reform efforts around the world. With 126 partners spanning every continent and more than 50 countries, INN uses The Writing on the Wall as a visual anchorage and soapbox for partners believing in the power of creative approaches to promote justice.

A collaboration between visual artist Baz Dresinger and Incarceration Nations Network (INN) – a global network of justice re-imaginers and prison reformers – The Writing on the Wall is a decade-old, shape-shifting art installation made from writing and drawings by people in prison around the world. In 2021, The Writing on the Wall evolved from visual intervention to values-in-action worldwide project, The Writing on the Wall as Enterprise.

In an effort to support and create reintegration opportunities worldwide while also advocating against global discrimination toward formerly incarcerated people, INN supports and generates social enterprises that benefit people who were incarcerated, while also displaying The Writing on the Wall as part of the business branding.

The Writing on the Wall has been activated since 2019 in New York City, Columbus, OH, Washington DC, Boise, ID, Toronto, Nashville, Los Angeles, Miami, Dominican Republic, Thailand, Mexico City, Czech Republic, Kenya, Argentina, Colombia, and Jamaica.