Using Scratch to foster creativity behind bars: Two positive experiences in jail

• We conducted two studies about changes in the creative thinking of people in prison.
• We used Scratch, an educational tool, in our video game creation workshops.
• Improvements during the learning process were registered using several instruments.
• We found a significant score increase in creative thinking among participants.
• Creative skills of people in difficult situations can be enhanced via intervention.

In this work, we present two studies about changes in the creative thinking of people in prison when using Scratch (a programming language designed to be fun, educational, and easy to learn). Fifteen inmates from the prison of Alava (Spain) voluntarily participated in the first study. Thirteen inmates from the same prison voluntarily participated in the second study. Each of these workshops comprised 50 h, spread over 25 days at a rate of 2 h per day. We registered their improvements during their learning process using several instruments; we also evaluated the evolution in their creative intelligence quantitatively using the CREA test (Corbalán et al., 2014), and noticed a significant score increase among participants of both studies. In light of these results, we believe that the use of Scratch can enhance the creative abilities of people in difficult situations, including prisoners.