It is estimated that 70% of incarcerated youth struggle with mental health challenges (Karger & Currie-Rubin, 2013) in addition to other academic impairments which, in turn, substantially increases their likelihood to reoffend postrelease (Yampolskaya & Chuang, 2012). Consequently, these youth would likely benefit from therapeutic interventions aimed at emotional expression and academic improvement. More specifically, creative writing programs can empower and encourage youth to reflect on their traumatic experiences and provide alternative ways to express emotions and organize their thoughts. Academic programs that focus on literacy development also decrease the likelihood of recidivism (Drakeford, 2002; Schutt et al., 2013). Research suggests that expressive writing programs address academic, mental, and behavioral challenges, with demonstrated improvements in all three areas (Catterall et al., 2012; Moller, 2011). A further incentive for implementing these interventions is the economic impact, with the United States saving approximately $2 million for each successfully rehabilitated youth (Sullivan, 2018). This article provides an overview of arts-based therapeutic programs for incarcerated youth, with an emphasis on therapeutic writing interventions and corresponding research findings.