Banned in Texas prisons: books and magazines that many would consider classics

Ask the Texas Department of Criminal Justice how many book and magazine titles it has reviewed over the years to determine if the reading material is suitable for its inmates, and officials will give you a precise number: 89,795.
Ask how many authors are represented on the list, and they can tell you that, too: 40,285.
But ask how many of those books and magazines have been rejected because prison reviewers decided they contain inappropriate content, and prison officials will tell you that information is unavailable: "There's just no way to break that out," said Tammy Shelby, a program specialist for the prison agency's Mail System Coordinators Panel.

But after the Statesman reviewed five years' worth of publications — about 5,000 titles — whose rejections were appealed by inmates to the agency's headquarters in Huntsville and obtained through open records requests, one thing is clear: Texas prisoners are missing out on some fine reading.

Novels by National Book Award winners Pete Dexter, Joyce Carol Oates, Annie Proulx and William T. Vollmann have been banned in recent years. Award finalists Katherine Dunn and Barry Hannah are on the Texas no-read list, too, as are Pulitzer Prize winners Alice Walker, Robert Penn Warren and John Updike.

Prisoners can't peruse certain books by Pablo Neruda and Andre Gide, both Nobel laureates. "Krik? Krak!" by Haitian writer Edwidge Danticat, who last year won a MacArthur "genius" grant, is prohibited behind Lone Star bars. Books of paintings by some of the world's greatest artists — da Vinci, Picasso, Botticelli, Michelangelo — have been ordered out of state correctional facilities.

And just because a book is a best-seller in the free world doesn't mean it's available on the inside. Harold Robbins, Pat Conroy, Hunter S. Thompson, Dave Barry and James Patterson belong to the don't-read fraternity. Mystery writer Carl Hiaasen does, too, as do Kinky Friedman and Janet Fitch, whose "White Oleander" was an Oprah's Book Club selection.

John Grisham has had four blockbusters banned since 2005. And inmates will have to wait for parole before diving into "Precious," the book by Sapphire that last year was turned into a critically acclaimed movie.

Political connections don't seem to count for much, either. Her father may have been governor and president, but Jenna Bush's "Ana's Story: A Journey of Hope" made the banned list in November 2008.

While it's easy to laugh off the removal of some books (comedian Jon Stewart's "America; A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction" was censored for sexually explicit images), critics say the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's restrictions are a serious matter. Inmates who don't read, for example, have a harder time finding jobs, said Marc Levin, a criminal justice analyst for the Texas Public Policy Foundation.

"Literacy, or lack of it, is one of the biggest problems we have with respect to re-entry," Levin said. "Inmates who want to read should have that opportunity."

Texas prison officials said restrictions on reading material are for the good of both guards and inmates. "We have to protect the safety and security of our institution, but also aid in the rehabilitation of our offenders," said Jason Clark, an agency spokesman.

"And what may not be judged inflammatory in the public at large can be inflammatory in prison."

While prisons for years have restricted reading material available to their inmates, experts in correctional policy concede there is scant research demonstrating that racy literature, dirty photos of tattoos or comics showing naked women — all prohibited in Texas lockups — stunt a prisoner's rehabilitation or cause disruptions.

"There is no evidence concluding that exposure to obscene material affects the morals or attitudes of prisoners," said Robert Bastress, a professor at the West Virginia University College of Law, who in 2004 represented an inmate who sued when the prison library was cleansed of all materials considered "a turn-on."

How books are banned

Texas inmates can receive published material only from publishers or bookstores. Each year, family members, friends and nonprofit organizations arrange to send thousands of books and magazines to prisoners.

Common requests include dictionaries, pulp fiction — Westerns and Star Trek, in particular — and legal and health books, said Scott O'Dierno, who manages Austin-based Inside Books, which has been sending the written word to Texas prisoners for 11 years.

When a book arrives at a Texas prison mailroom, an employee first checks the database to see if the book is already prohibited. If not, said Shelby, "he'll flip it over and read the back." If that provides insufficient information to make a decision, "they scan through it looking for key words" or pictures that would disqualify the publication.

"You can pretty much tell by reading the first few pages," she said. "We rely on them to use their judgment."

If the book is denied by a unit's mailroom staff, an inmate can appeal to Huntsville headquarters. Prison officials say they don't know what percentage of inmates choose to press their cases.

Review decisions are officially made by the six-member Directors Review Committee, which also considers matters of correspondence and visitation. But the committee generally turns its publication appeals over to two program specialists, Shelby and Jennifer Smith, who reconsider the mailroom decision.

Because of the sheer volume of books and magazines they receive, Smith said she typically reviews only the pages cited by mailroom staff as inappropriate.

"We get too much up here to review every book" in its entirety, she said. If the women disagree with the mailroom, the book usually is redesignated as "approved." Otherwise, it goes on the banned list for good unless a policy change merits a review.

Even critics agree that, on paper, the system is as good as any. "I've looked at a lot of policies," said Paul Wright, editor of the Seattle-based Prison Legal News, which distributes the magazine and books to prisons nationwide. "And the Texas one, as written, isn't that bad."

But in practice, he added, many worthwhile books remain banned after a cursory exam simply because prisoners don't appeal.

Last July, a prison censor rejected "The Narrative of Sojourner Truth," a biography of the abolitionist, because of a racial reference. The decision was later reversed. But if the inmate hadn't appealed, the title would have been permanently banned.

Even with appeals, Wright said, "there doesn't seem to be any real review going on." In 2005, mailroom staffers flagged "Freakonomics," the best-selling popular economics book, for its use of a 50-year-old quote containing a racial epithet in a chapter about the Ku Klux Klan. That decision was upheld.

Scott Medlock, an attorney for the Texas Civil Rights Project, said such rubber-stamping stems from a Catch-22: Because the book is banned, the inmate can't review its contents to prepare a rebuttal.

Federal prison policy, by contrast, states, "Where a publication is found unacceptable \u2026 the warden shall permit the inmate an opportunity to review this material for purposes of filing an appeal."

Sex and the Sistine Chapel

Perhaps the most common reason for diverting books from Texas prisoners is sex, portrayed in images and words, although prison officials have struggled to define what's permissible. Inmates could receive magazines like Playboy and Penthouse until 2004, when they were banned, Smith said.

A book or magazine also would be rejected if it "would encourage homosexual or deviant criminal sexual behavior."

In 2007, the "homosexual" reference was deleted, though not before it ensnared "Brokeback Mountain," Proulx's prize-winning love story about two cowboys. ("Homophobia: A History," on the other hand, was approved in 2006.) Written descriptions of other sexual practices — sadomasochism, rape and incest — remain grounds for summary rejection.

State prison administrators have taken an even harder line with images. While pictures of naked buttocks are permitted, depictions of genitalia and women's bare breasts are not.

That applies not just to magazines such as Hustler, but also to offending swimsuit catalogs, tattoo images — even cartoons. The February 2009 Esquire was rejected for a line drawing of a woman in bed, a single naked breast visible over her sheet.

In the past five years, volumes on massage, home health care, circumcision, vintage aircraft nose art, gardening, Dungeons & Dragons and a pictorial history of restaurant menus were rejected for displaying too much explicit material.

Inmates enrolled in sex offender treatment programs, often for pedophilia, cannot receive any reading material except newspapers, religious material, and legal or educational publications. But a ban on images of nude children applies to everyone, Smith said.

Thus, National Geographic magazines are turned away for photos of naked toddlers. Images of unclothed children have also led to censorship of "Anatomica: The Complete Home Medical Reference" and "A Child is Born," featuring primarily in-vitro photos.

Journalism is not immune, either. National Geographic's massive "Visual History of the World" was banned because it included the Pulitzer Prize-winning photo of a naked girl fleeing a napalm attack in Vietnam. "Let Us Now Praise Famous Men," the photojournalistic account of U.S. sharecroppers, and "How the Other Half Lives," a grim chronicle of New York slums at the turn of the century, were turned away for their pictures of unclothed children.

Art has proved especially tricky to regulate. Shelby said she tries to educate mailroom workers to keep their hands off books of paintings featuring naked adults. Yet many great works also display naked children, and books featuring the work of some of the world's best-known artists, including Caravaggio and Rembrandt, have been blocked.

"Things that would be in the Vatican aren't allowed in TDCJ," said O'Dierno, who said his organization has used magic markers to obscure body parts before mailing some books to a Texas prison. In 2006, censors rejected "The Sistine Chapel Coloring Book."

In an effort to separate art from child porn, reviewers have come up with a test, Shelby said: If a naked child has clearly visible wings, it is a legitimate cherub and the book can stay. No wings? It must go.

"If he is naked, the Baby Jesus would be denied," she said.

Security bans and auto repair

Books that could lead to breaches of security and order also are denied entrance to state prisons. Publications considered too racially insensitive fall under a ban of "material that a reasonable person would construe as written solely for the purpose of communicating information designed to achieve the breakdown of prisons."

Many of the rejections — "Fun Under the Swastika" — seem reasonable: Race-related violence is a real concern in prisons. Yet the prohibition has been applied broadly: "Friday Night Lights," the best-selling book about Texas football, was prohibited because of its exploration of racial themes in Odessa.

In October 2007, censors rejected "Coming Through the Fire," which was reviewed on Amazon.com: "In this small but eloquent work, Duke University professor of religion and culture C. Eric Lincoln calls for a 'no-fault reconciliation' between the races." The following month, censors approved "The Hitler We Loved and Why," published by White Power Publications.

Security concerns also have kept educational books out of Texas lockups. "Basic Physics: A Self-Teaching Guide" and "Chemistry Concepts and Problems" were denied for fear inmates might glean potentially dangerous chemical formulas from them, according to rejection notes. Instructional books explaining electric motors, sheet metal fabrication, electrical codes, knot-tying, taxidermy and tanning, guard dog training, radio circuits, home inspections and organic chemistry were also deemed potential security threats, their contents apparently too volatile to risk releasing to Texas's convicted criminals.

In 2005, prison officials censored "Auto Repair for Dummies," and in 2007 they rejected "Residential Construction Academy — HVAC." Among the trades it teaches, Windham, the state's school district for prisoners, lists auto mechanics, diesel repair and HVAC repair.

By policy, censors also scour volumes for descriptions of weapon and drug manufacturing and "criminal schemes," categories that have prevented books such as the "Drugs From A to Z Dictionary" and Guns & Ammo magazine from prisoners' cells. But the restrictions have also led to banning the book "How to Get Off Drugs," magazines about paintball and a how-to manual on rifle engraving.

The potential for aiding escape is another security red flag, prohibiting not only publications with Texas maps but also Statesman humor columnist John Kelso's book of roadside oddities, for what the author describes as unhelpful depictions of Texas terrain.

"I suppose they could use it to run away to the Spamarama," Kelso said.

In 2005, Jim Willett, a retired warden of the agency's Huntsville unit, published a book about his experiences. Two years later, his former employer censored "Warden" because, the reviewers explained, "arial (sic) photos of prisons could facilitate an escape."

Censors also have taken an expansive view of publications that might give inmates a dangerous advantage over corrections officers. While it's easy to understand why a copy of "How to Be An Ass-Whipping Boxer" circulating among angry prisoners could cause unease, it is less clear why "Draw Fight Scenes Like a Pro" was rejected for revealing "fighting techniques."

In December, prison censors intercepted "The Elements of Persuasion: Use Storytelling to Pitch Better, Sell Faster and Win More Business," which, after reading, they turned away as a security concern.

The danger?

"Could be used to persuade others."

Pa. prisoners' low reading and math levels surprise officials

Pa. prisoners' low reading and math levels surprise officials Average reading level was at a fourth-grade mark, but had previously assumed to be between a sixth- and eighth-grade level

PHILADELPHIA — A test of reading skills among inmates in Philadelphia's prison system yielded some worse news than expected: About 25 percent to 30 percent of prisoners read at a second- or third-grade level.

The average reading level was at a fourth-grade mark, but city Prisons Commissioner Louis Giorla said he had previously assumed that the average was between a sixth- and eighth-grade level.

"That was surprising," Giorla said of the results, which he shared Tuesday with members of the Criminal Justice Advisory Board. The board includes representatives from city agencies, including the Police Department, court system, and District Attorney's Office, that deal with criminal-justice matters.

With crowding issues dwindling as the prison population shrinks - a count that nearly three years ago was approaching 10,000 has dipped to under 8,000 - officials said they were refocusing attention on education and other areas key to helping inmates stay out of jail after their release.

The test of 271 inmates was conducted in September.

Overall, the inmates showed higher proficiency when it came to math, with average math skills at a fifth-grade level.

Nonetheless, the low skills in both math and reading "give us an idea of what we're up against," Giorla said. He added that previously about 50 percent of inmates had indicated they had a high school diploma or a GED - a statistic he now believes is "a fallacy."

The results suggest the prison system may have to revamp its education programs, which currently focus largely on helping inmates earn or work toward high school diplomas, or the equivalent.

Everett Gillison, deputy mayor for public safety and cochair of the advisory board, said he may seek funding to provide more educational programs from a donor who gave money recently to the city office overseeing reintegration services for ex-offenders. He did not identify the donor, or how much money the donor gave.

Gillison is also seeking help from Arthur Evans, who directs the city's Department of Behavioral Health and Mental Retardation Services. Evans, who was at the meeting, said additional tests needed to be done to determine whether inmates had learning disabilities.

"Are you thinking these people are cognitively impaired," Evans asked Gillison, who replied he thought that may be the case.

Common Pleas Court President Judge Pamela Pryor Dembe, who cochairs the advisory board with Evans, added: "Well, if not, we have to blow up the whole school system."

Learning to live with dyslexia

Illiteracy affects 42 million American adults, leaving them unable to fill out a simple job application or enjoy a book


Pat Bingham has lived her whole life with dyslexia, but she recently chose to seek help. Many people who suffer from the disorder use memorization, sentence context and first-letter recognition to work out words that don't register correctly.

On a recent sunlit Tuesday morning, 74-year-old Pat Bingham met up with her teacher and tutor, Judy Haley Giesen, of Dubuque, just as she has two times per week for the past year and a half.

In a brightly lit room on the second floor of the Northeast Iowa Community College Town Clock Center, 700 Main St. in Dubuque, students of all ages meet one-on-one with tutors to work through problems with literacy in general and dyslexia in particular. Giesen has been specially trained to help students with dyslexia.

Sitting side-by-side at a table, the two painstakingly work through the spelling and sounding out of words. Alphabet letters and letter combinations are printed on color-coded magnetized squares and arranged on what at first appears to be a Scrabble board.

Elegant in a blue outfit with turquoise accessories, Bingham vividly recalls her difficulties with reading as a child.

"In first grade, the nuns made me write my full name every day -- Patricia Ann Spitzenberger -- and it was really hard for me," Bingham said. "And it didn't seem fair. The other kids had names like Tom Smith.

"I was tested

dyslexia, a definition Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. In other words, something in the brain is causing the difficulty. It's a language-processing disorder that is likely an inherited trait. Dyslexia is characterized by "difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition, and by poor spelling and decoding abilities." Decoding is the ability to recognize written or printed representations of words.warning signs of dyslexia in adults * Poor speller * Avoids writing, often quick to hand off writing to others * Often very competent in oral language * May have excellent "people" skills * Has some difficulty with right versus left * Sometimes gets lost, even in a familiar place * Has an excellent memory * Reads with difficulty, slowly * May confuse b and d.

The National Literacy Foundation reports that approximately 14 percent of American adults, or 42 million, are completely unable to read and that an additional 50 million adults are unable to read beyond the expected level of a fourth-grader. Assuming Dubuque follows the national trend, almost 8,000 adults locally cannot read well enough to fill out a simple job application form.

Getting around the problem

A misconception about dyslexia is that dyslexics cannot read. Reportedly, all dyslexics read, but only up to a point. Early on, they begin using strategies to get around their difficulties, often by picking up context clues and guessing at a word by looking at the first letters. Having a good memory also is helpful, but teachers indicate that by third or fourth grade, memory simply isn't enough.

"My teachers kept on telling me that I just wasn't applying myself, that I just wasn't trying. And it wasn't just my teachers. I'd get that at home as well. My own father would say, 'What the hell's wrong with you, Pat?' It's bad when your own father calls you stupid. So teachers would tell me to keep trying. I'd look at the words on paper, and keep looking at the words, and then look again, and it meant nothing to me."

Effect on children

For younger people, the inability to make out words correctly often pales in comparison to the teasing and bullying they might experience due to their learning disability. Others look at them as being "dumb" or "stupid."
"Spelling bees in school were very shaming for me," Bingham said, looking pained at the memories more than half a century later. "When it came to my turn, I'd simply say 'I don't know' and then sit down."

By high school, things were a little better. Having an outgoing and energetic personality helped Bingham tremendously. "My personality got me through. I could speak very well, I related very well to people and I had a really good memory," Bingham said.

Then she and some of her friends went to a play by Dostoevsky called "The Idiot," and she asked her friends something that would follow her like a soiled bridal train until the day she left school. She asked, "What's an i-dot?"

Illiteracy in prison

In the prison and jail population, the percentages of adult illiteracy skyrocket. The National Institute for Literacy reports that fully 70 percent of prisoners in state and federal systems can be classified as illiterate, and that 85 percent of all juvenile offenders can be termed functionally or marginally illiterate. Very few counties in Iowa address the issue of literacy among inmates. Dubuque County does not. The sheriff in Scott County, Iowa, has put a program in place to help inmates who have difficulty reading and writing.

"As part of our booking process, we ask every inmate a simple question, 'Can you read and write?' and if they say 'no' we follow up with an offer of help," said Scott County Jail Director of Programs Bill Boyd. "Not everyone says yes to the offer of help, but when they do we have volunteer tutors who come and work with them."

Inmates in Scott County are also encouraged to work on a high school diploma and are tutored in anticipation of taking the General Educational Development (GED) test.
"The inability to read is a major factor in the lives of our inmates and almost certainly contributed to why they are with us," Boyd said.

A federal study shows that rates of re-arrest, reconviction and re-incarceration were much higher for the members of the prison population who had not participated in correctional education programs, about a 10 percent difference in all three categories.

Causes of illiteracy

There are many causes for illiteracy in the United States, and poverty tops the list, followed by learning disabilities. In the United States, at least half of all those who are illiterate grew up in homes where the income is below the national poverty standards.
The second-most-common cause of illiteracy is learning disabilities, and far and away the most common learning disability is dyslexia. It is estimated that 70 to 80 percent of learning-disabled people with poor or nonexistent reading skills are dyslexic.

The symptoms of dyslexia were first noticed by a German named Oswald Berkhan in 1881 in a sanctuary/institution he ran for disabled and ill people. He noted that a couple of bright people in his care were having reading difficulties, but it would be a full century before the disability was understood to any great extent.

Children as young as age 5 can be accurately tested for dyslexia, though it rarely happens. With limited resources, schools do what they can. The National Institutes of Health report that of every 100 dyslexics, only five are diagnosed and given help. The other 95 struggle, going through life as best they can with little or no assistance from others.

A continuing battle

As the years roll by it doesn't get any easier. One might assume that once a dyslexic person reaches a comfortable place in life and seems to be managing quite well despite the learning disability, that life would be easier. Unfortunately, the untreated issue continues to rear its ugly head.

"It's tough," Bingham said. "You write letters to a Marine son and you worry about looking like an idiot. Or you read stories to a grandchild and when they get to be 5 or 6 they turn to you while you're reading and say, 'Grandma, that's not what it says.'

"When I'm done with this course my goal is to help others who have had the same difficulties," Bingham continued. "I try not to ever accept something without giving something back, and this is no different. I hope to help others. No one should have to go through what I went through."

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Don’t limit inmates’ reading choices

An Oct. 7 article told how the ACLU was suing the Berkeley County jail over its policy barring inmates from having any reading material other than the Bible. While I agree that sometimes the ACLU will file frivolous lawsuits, I’d like to be on the jury that hears this one.

Just because one is incarcerated does not give anyone the right to deny access to certain reading materials other than the Bible. The Bible is one of the best books that anyone could ever read. If we followed the Ten Commandments there would be no need for jails.

But the people — that’s you and me — should have a right to access many reading materials, including magazines and newspapers, so we can have an open dialogue with other people. As a former inmate in our prison system, reading was the only thing that helped me retain my sanity.

Above all, reading in our prison system should be encouraged. Some of the inmates could not read and would ask me to read to them. Sometimes it was the Bible, other times it was letters from home.

This is an injustice to the inmates at this jail. We should allow them the right and freedom to read appropriate materials that may help them deal with their incarceration and broaden their horizons.

After reading this you may disagree with me. That’s OK. At least you had the right and freedom to read it.

Jail should not deny prisoners right to books

THE ISSUE: Jail's information ban

OUR OPINION: Policy is unwise, likely unconstitutional






It must be remembered that the majority of people imprisoned in this country ultimately leave incarceration and return to society. A successful return is and should be the objective. But our track record of success is not strong. Recidivism is a real problem.


The debate rages about why jails and the prison system do not work any better than they do, whether they are more about punishment than rehabilitation, whether they are places of suffering more than reteaching.

We recently wrote in favor of prisons and jails being able to use jamming technology to prevent inmates from using cell phones, which prisoners are not supposed to have. Jails and prisons are not about easy access to the outside world. Regulation is necessary.

What is not necessary is totally shutting down a prisoner's access to information. That's what is happening in the Berkeley County Detention Center in Moncks Corner, where books, magazines and newspapers -- all literature except the Bible -- are banned.

It should not be that way and, in fact, the ban is likely unconstitutional. The county will find out since it is now being sued in federal court in the name of Prison Legal news, a monthly journal on prison law distributed across the nation to prisoners, attorneys, judges, law libraries and other subscribers. Filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, the lawsuit charges that jail officials violate the rights of Prison Legal News under the speech, establishment and due process clauses of the First and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution by refusing to deliver copies of the journal and other magazines and books to detainees.

"This is nothing less than unjustified censorship," said David Shapiro, staff attorney with the ACLU National Prison Project. "There is no legitimate justification for denying detainees access to periodicals and, in the process, shutting them off from the outside world in draconian ways."

The ACLU lawsuit charges that since 2008, copies of Prison Legal News and other books sent to detainees at Berkeley County have been returned to sender, or simply discarded. The books rejected by the jail's officials include "Protecting Your Health and Safety," which is designed to help prisoners not represented by an attorney and explains the legal rights inmates have regarding health and safety - including the right to medical care and to be free from inhumane treatment.

There is no library at the Berkeley County Detention Center, meaning that some prisoners who are incarcerated for extended periods of time have not had access to magazines, newspapers and books - other than the Bible - for months or even years on end. Since these people are detainees, some of whom are awaiting trial, denying access to all information other than the Bible is unnecessary and unwise. We believe it is also unconstitutional.

Canada's top athletes find solace in reading a good book

Olympic gold medallist in skeleton Jon Montgomery charges up the stairs two at a time near the Calgary Curling Club wearing a weight vest during team training on Wednesday


Olympic gold-medallist Jon Montgomery remembers sitting nervously in grade school, as kids took turns reading aloud, counting out how many paragraphs it would be until his turn came up.

Growing up a typical, rambunctious prairie boy in Russell, Man., Montgomery much-preferred chasing hockey pucks and baseballs to sitting still with any book.

So when recess gave way to reading class, the youngster would turn to the same strategy, year after year.

"I would always find the part that would be mine, pre-read that again and again, so I would be more comfortable with it when my turn came up.

"I never really read enough as a kid. I probably should have. I would have done much better in school. I always envied those kids that were so good at it, at all their phonetics and pronunciations."

Montgomery -- in flaming red-bearded glory -- captured the hearts of Canadians in February when he won the gold medal for skeleton at the Vancouver Olympic Games.

He instilled a renewed sense of national pride, celebrating with gusto, guzzling a pitcher of beer moments after his victory then making famous the standing leap onto the highest podium just before being awarded his gold medal.

Today when he wants to get away from the pressures of being the world's best -- days now filled with high-intensity training, speaking engagements and fundraising -- Montgomery finds comfort in a good book, often escaping with thrillers or murder mystery novels.

Right now, he's reading Theo Fleury's autobiography Playing with Fire, another gifted athlete raised in the same Manitoba town as Montgomery.

"When I read subject matter that I'm actually interested in, I really enjoy it. Reading is for pleasure now, it can be an escape, and help me unwind."

And with so many youth immersed in the technology of Facebook, Twitter and texting, Montgomery hopes they'll still turn to reading books, and reading what they love, to form their own image of the world.

"Find something that piques your interest, that you like to read about, and then immerse yourself.

"Reading teaches you to think for yourself, be your own person, and actively engage different parts of your brain."

In this Olympic year, members of Canada's skating and sliding teams are helping promote the Calgary Herald's Raise-a-Reader campaign, which launches this morning with volunteers hawking papers downtown to raise money for literacy.

Alex Gough, who finished 18th in luge at the Vancouver Games, will be out before dawn hoping to earn some cash for four local agencies: Calgary Educational Partnership Foundation, Calgary Learning Centre, Calgary Public Library, and the Further Education Society of Alberta.

Gough is a voracious reader, at times devouring up to three books in a week, and at others reading a 300-page novel in the course of one night. Even when she travels to train or compete, she packs up to six books in her suitcase.

"I'm just reading constantly. I love it. I've been known to start a book at 9 p.m. at night and then, if it's really good, finish by 4 a.m."

Kristina Groves, who won a silver and bronze medal for speedskating in Vancouver, says she too loves to read, "in fits and spurts."

Counterculture books like Naomi Klein's No Logo often spark her interest, as well as Canadian fiction like Joseph Boyden's Three Day Road.

"Reading for me isn't just an escape, it's a journey. It gives you a different mindset, challenges your beliefs and helps with you ability to communicate intelligently.

"There seems to be a shift away from speaking with each other using real words. But you can tell right away when you're speaking with someone who doesn't read a lot."

Like Montgomery and Groves, Gough finds reading to be one of the best ways to rejuvenate a mind and body weary from the stresses of training at the elite level.

"When there's so many things going on in your day, reading is just such a great way to get lost."

Gough, 23, encourages other youth to read as much as they can -- but mainly for fun -- by looking for what they enjoy most.

"There's so much out there for everyone, whether it's the comics or the classics. If you really enjoy it, then you'll do it more."

While Gough is a born and bred Calgarian, many sliders and other winter athletes come here from across the country, with the bulk of our Olympic team still training at local facilities like the Oval and Canada Olympic Park.

How Inmate's Can Benefit From Reading Books

To any person, books are very important. Books are the fundamental of basic education. Aside from that, books can teach us life lessons. These books have different topics and tackle different issues. Books have been with us since ancient times. The most famous are the books of the Library of Alexandria in Egypt. They were in the form of scrolls but there were a few that were in the form of bonded documents. These collections, though, are considered extinct. Through the years, still, they have proven to be very influential in the modern way of learning or education.

As a result of the presence of books through the different ages, experts have been confirming all the claimed benefits of reading them. These are in general terms and do not take into consideration differences in age, sex, and race. These benefits have been considered thoroughly. This is why even schools today prefer to let students use books than the Internet because of credibility issues. The Internet may have all information that can be obtained more conveniently.

Those found online may not always be verified to be authentic and true but with books, the information are always true because before these materials get published, books undergo as series of review. So when they get published, they are already error free and free from erroneous information.

Those who have the habit of reading books regularly know that as they read, their skills are sharpened and their vocabulary is enriched. With books, people can understand cultural diversity without traveling. Books also keep us informed with all the things that are going on around us.

They help one understand the past so they may also understand the present and the future. Books also make people more educated and they introduce many ideas to readers to readers so they can become better conversationalists. And, of course, books are a convenient way of learning all these things.

One can still find a lot of different advantages from reading books. The list goes on. Books never go out of fashion and they can never be replaced with any other media. Parents should recommend reading to their children because this is a very good and worthwhile hobby. Those who began reading books at a young age have a higher sense of appreciation for books. As they become adults, the lessons they learned from the books they read remained and they were able to apply them in their lives. For those who want to start reading, you still have a lot of catching up to do but it’s never too late. Books can teach us a lot of lessons and can give us so much knowledge. The applications of these things is up to us.

When you join book clubs, you can choose from a wider selection of books and enjoy great discounts. SureShot Books, book club for inmate parent's and their children are an examples of the best online book clubs you can find. Aside from that, being part of this type of group allows you to have a venue for expressing yourself to your parent inmate or children readers. Indeed, not only a love for books may be developed but also a great relationship.

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Today's Readers are Tomorrow's Leaders

Books are the golden key that unlocks the wisdom of the ages, sages, and mages. Or, in more down-to-earth language, "You're the same today as you'll be in five years except for the people you meet and the books you read."

During our time off, there are many ways we can spend time, such as by taking a walk, playing chess, or painting, but "Of all the diversions of life, there is none so proper to fill up its empty spaces as the reading of useful and entertaining authors.

When one recognizes the value of books, it is easy to understand why we would be horrified by the many book burnings that were carried out throughout history. Just to give three examples, in 213 B.C. Emperor Qin Shi Huang ordered the burning of philosophy and history books; in roughly 640, the infamous destruction of the Library of Alexandria took place. And more recently, in 1992, the National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina was firebombed and destroyed by Serbian nationalists. More than 1.5 million books, including 4,000 rare books, 478 bound manuscripts, and 100 years of Bosnian newspapers and journals were lost.

Yet, perhaps the greatest crime of all is to have free access to all the world's great books and not read them, which is what is going on in the United States. Here are some of the abhorrent statistics:

1/3 of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives.
42 percent of college graduates never read another book after college.
70 percent of U.S. adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years.
57 percent of new books are not read to completion.
(Source: Jerold Jenkins, www.JenkinsGroupInc.com)


Although the above statistics are somewhat dated, according to its annual survey of American reading habits, the National Endowment for the Arts announced that 54.3 percent of American adults read a book for pleasure in 2008, down from 56.6 percent in 2002, so the trend is unfavorable. In fact, so few people are reading books that you can become an expert merely by reading five books on the same subject. Would you like to be in the top 25% of the world's intellectuals? If so, all you have to do is read one book a month every year. How difficult is that? Well, if you read 15 minutes a day, every day for a year, you will have completed, depending on their size, 12~20 books.

Yes, the United States does publish more than 170,000 new titles a year, but 95% of the books are purchased by only 5% of the people. Moreover, despite having a population 5X greater than the U.K., there are 20% more titles published each year in England than in the U.S. Also, new titles in the U.K. rose by 28 per cent in 2005~6, while they fell by 18 per cent in the U.S.

THE VALUE OF BOOKS
1. Books are patient teachers, willingly sharing the wisdom of our contemporaries and forefathers. "Books are masters who instruct us without rods or ferules (sticks, canes or paddles used to punish children) without words (criticism) or anger, without bread or money. If you approach them, they are not asleep; if you seek them, they do not hide; if you blunder, they do not scold; if you are ignorant, they do not laugh at you."


2. Our future depends on what we read after graduating from school. Real learning starts after graduation and is found in the books we read.

3. Imagine meeting Albert Einstein, Marcus Aurelius, or Buddha. We can meet them all and countless others. Philosophers, spiritual teachers, scientists, poets, and every type of historical figure invite us to join them in the world of books. "Books are the true levelers. They give to all, who faithfully use them, the society, the spiritual presence, and the best and greatest of our race." (William Ellery Channing, 1780~1842)

4. A good book teaches us about every aspect of life, the strengths and foibles, the rise and fall of humanity. It introduces us to beauty, truth, and wisdom. Good books are manuals that guide us to the path of success and happiness.

5. Books teach us by example how to powerfully express ourselves through language.

6. Reading destroys loneliness, for when we are surrounded by books, we will always have friends to delight, comfort, guide, instruct, and inspire us.

7. Books are the gateway to the greatest adventure of all: self- discovery. "Every reader finds himself. The writer's work is merely a kind of optical instrument that makes it possible for the reader to discern what, without this book, he would perhaps never have seen in himself." (Marcel Proust, 1871~1922)

8. Because of the knowledge books grant their readers, and because of the small number of book lovers, today's readers will become tomorrow's leaders.

9. When circumstances prevent you from traveling, books will whisk you off to a far-off land, yet undreamt of paradise, or a Shangri-La of unimaginable beauty.

10. The world of books will provide you with a sanctuary where you can escape from the chaos, confusion, and clamor of everyday life.

11. Books broaden your perspective by providing a sweeping vista of the entirety of human experience. "To read is to fly: it is to soar to a point of vantage which gives a view over wide terrains of history, human variety, ideas, shared experience and the fruits of many inquiries." (Professor Anthony Clifford Grayling, Birkbeck, University of London)

12. "Reading is a means of thinking with another person's mind; it forces you to stretch your own." (Charles Scribner, Jr., 1921~1995)

13. Would that we all would appreciate books to the extent that Desiderius Erasmus (c.1466~1536) did, for he wrote, "When I get a little money, I buy books; and if any is left, I buy food and clothes."

14. According to a 2009 Mayo Clinic Study of Aging, reading could decrease the risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which is associated with Alzheimer's disease.

15. Bibliotherapy is a modern form of treatment utilized to treat non-emergency mental illness. In the United Kingdom, bibliotherapy is a suggested treatment practiced by many therapists to treat patients with depression and other mood disorders. This unique therapy works by getting the patient to read prescribed self-help books that address their illness.

Prisoners' Right to Read

An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights

The American Library Association asserts a compelling public interest in the preservation of intellectual freedom for individuals of any age held in jails, prisons, detention facilities, juvenile

facilities, immigration facilities, prison work camps and segregated units within any facility. As Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall wrote in Procunier v Martinez [416 US 428 (1974)]:

When the prison gates slam behind an inmate, he does not lose his human quality; his mind does not become closed to ideas; his intellect does not cease to feed on a free and open interchange of opinions; his yearning for self-respect does not end; nor is his quest for self-realization concluded. If anything, the needs for identity and self-respect are more compelling in the dehumanizing prison environment.

Participation in a democratic society requires unfettered access to current social, political, economic, cultural, scientific, and religious information. Information and ideas available outside the prison are essential to prisoners for a successful transition to freedom. Learning to be free requires access to a wide range of knowledge, and suppression of ideas does not prepare the incarcerated of any age for life in a free society. Even those individuals that a lawful society chooses to imprison permanently deserve access to information, to literature, and to a window on the world. Censorship is a process of exclusion by which authority rejects specific points of view. That material contains unpopular views or even repugnant content does not provide justification for censorship. Unlike censorship, selection is a process of inclusion that involves the search for materials, regardless of format, that represent diversity and a broad spectrum of ideas. The correctional library collection should reflect the needs of its community.

Libraries and librarians serving individuals in correctional facilities may be required by federal, state, or local laws; administrative rules of parent agencies; or court decisions to prohibit material that instructs, incites, or advocates criminal action or bodily harm or is a violation of the law. Only those items that present an actual compelling and imminent risk to safety and security should be restricted. Although these limits restrict the range of material available, the extent of limitation should be minimized by adherence to the Library Bill of Rights and its Interpretations.

These principles should guide all library services provided to prisoners:

* Collection management should be governed by written policy, mutually agreed upon by librarians and correctional agency administrators, in accordance with the Library Bill of Rights, its Interpretations, and other ALA intellectual freedom documents.

* Correctional libraries should have written procedures for addressing challenges to library materials, including a policy-based description of the disqualifying features, in accordance with “Challenged Materials” and other relevant intellectual freedom documents.

* Correctional librarians should select materials that reflect the demographic composition, information needs, interests, and diverse cultural values of the confined communities they serve.

* Correctional librarians should be allowed to purchase materials that meet written selection criteria and provide for the multi-faceted needs of their populations without prior correctional agency review. They should be allowed to acquire materials from a wide range of sources in order to ensure a broad and diverse collection. Correctional librarians should not be limited to purchasing from a list of approved materials.

* Age is not a reason for censorship. Incarcerated children and youth should have access to a wide range of fiction and nonfiction, as stated in “Free Access to Libraries for Minors."

* Correctional librarians should make all reasonable efforts to provide sufficient materials to meet the information and recreational needs of prisoners who speak languages other than English.

* Equitable access to information should be provided for persons with disabilities as outlined in “Services to People with Disabilities.”

* Media or materials with non-traditional bindings should not be prohibited unless they present an actual compelling and imminent risk to safety and security.

* Material with sexual content should not be banned unless it violates state and federal law.

* Correctional libraries should provide access to computers and the Internet.

When free people, through judicial procedure, segregate some of their own, they incur the responsibility to provide humane treatment and essential rights. Among these is the right to read. The right to choose what to read is deeply important, and the suppression of ideas is fatal to a democratic society. The denial of the right to read, to write, and to think—to intellectual freedom—diminishes the human spirit of those segregated from society. Those who cherish their full freedom and rights should work to guarantee that the right to intellectual freedom is extended to all incarcerated individuals.

Adopted June 29, 2010, by the ALA Council.

Books a prescription for success

Doctors and nurses from Opelika’s Pediatric Clinic are sending families home from well-child visits with free books as part of the Reach Out and Read program.

The goal of the program is to prepare children to succeed in school by partnering with doctors to prescribe books and encourage families to read together.

U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers was at the clinic to help kick things off, reading Robie H. Harris’ “Maybe A Bear Ate It” to some of the clinic’s patients Tuesday.

The book is about the creative possibilities a child comes up with when a favorite book is misplaced.

“When a family visits the clinic for a well-child visit, the patient get lots of messages from the pediatrician about topics like safety and proper nutrition,” said Polly McClure, ROR statewide coordinator. “This program allows the pediatrician to give a book to the patient while at the same time, they’re also talking to the parents or caregivers about the importance of reading aloud to their child and its benefits in preparing them for success in school.”


ROR officials estimate 35 percent of American children entering kindergarten lack the basic language skills they need to read.

Through the ROR program, doctors and nurses at the clinic give a new book to children from six months to 5 years, so by the time the child is ready to start school, they have received 10 new books from their pediatrician.


“Getting these books is instrumental for many families,” McClure said. “If you ask someone to do something but don’t give them the tools to do it, then in many cases, they’re not going to go out and buy a book.“

After reading to patients Tuesday, Rogers toured the clinic.

“This is a great way to remind children and families that reading can be fun,” Rogers said. “I have small children and have great appreciation for the importance of this program.”

www.sureshotbooks.com

Prison program unites inmates, children

They were unlikely dance partners in an unlikely dance hall: a 29-year-old murderer and a 10-year-old boy doing an impromptu tango as Luther Vandross' "Dance with My Father" sounded from a boom box in a prison gym.

It was one of the lighter moments at the emotional end of a weeklong summer camp where inmate dads and their children reconnected after years apart. Seven fathers -- all in prison-issued jeans and blue, short-sleeved shirts -- swayed to the song with their children, some openly crying.

The Hope House Father to Child Summer Camp Behind Bars recently held at the prison offered them a hint of what life together could have been like.

Federal and state prisons in Ohio, North Carolina and Maryland have hosted this summer camp for 10 years, but the program at the North Branch Correctional Institution in July was the first in a maximum-security facility.

It's a reward program for inmates — many of whom will spend the majority of their lives in jail. More importantly, it's a program for the children, organizers said.

“Every child needs to know the love of their parents,” said Hope House Director Carol Fennelly. “In a true and perfect world, fathers would be mentors to their own children — that's what we try to create. It's a safe place where these kids can love their fathers without feeling ashamed.”
Hope House, a Washington-based nonprofit group, organizes these camps and other programs to strengthen the bond between children and their imprisoned fathers.

Throughout the year, they facilitate face-to-face video calls between the fathers and their families hours apart from each other. They also record inmates reading books aloud and then mail those audio tapes to the kids. Another program called Girl Scouts Beyond Bars offers similar opportunities for daughters to communicate with their imprisoned mothers.

Spending a few hours each morning inside the prison gym with their children, the inmates at North Branch tried to make up time for missed birthday parties, summer trips not taken, their absence during pickup basketball games.

“This is will be the only reference point some of these guys will ever have to their kids,” said Geray Williams, 32, one of the seven dads chosen to attend the camp inside North Branch. “Just spending time with them is all that matters.”

In 2008 the Department of Justice estimated that more than half of all inmates were parents. That leaves 1.7 million children nationwide — about one in 50 U.S. residents under 18 — with a parent in jail.

The Justice Department and the National Council on Crime and Delinquency have concluded these children are more likely to land in prison than are their peers whose parents aren't incarcerated.

The Hope House camp is free for the participating families. At North Branch, the inmates and their kids spent several hours together each morning. They painted life-size murals depicting a perfect day outside prison. One family painted themselves skateboarding on a half-pipe; another rode atop an elephant in Africa.


The kids even got a taste, or a distaste, they said, for prison lunches — eating hot dogs and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches made by inmates working in the prison kitchen.





Every afternoon, when the fathers returned to their prison cells,
the children and Hope House counselors retreated to a local campground, where they built campfires, made s'mores and stargazed at night. Many of the children said they preferred the mornings in prison, though, because they got to spend them with their dads.

There are benefits for the criminal justice system, too.

“I've seen hardened criminals transformed in front of the children,” said Frank Bishop, chief of security at North Branch.

The Hope House camp offered a chance for them to reconnect with their children, but it was also a break from the monotony of a life behind bars. Inmate Williams had not tasted greasy delivery pizza in 10 years before Hope House ordered it for the special lunch on the last day of camp. He smiled, sandwiched between his children, Summer Harris, 13, and Sanchez Harris, 12. It felt like heaven, he said, though it wasn't clear whether he meant the pizza or being with his kids for the first time in six years.

Thirty of North Branch's 1,470 inmates applied for the five-day program. Some applicants didn't satisfy all criteria to attend; others had children who were unwilling to participate.

Sanchez and Summer traveled more than four hours from Lynchburg, Va., to attend the camp with their father, who is serving time for armed robbery and first-degree assault and expects to be released next year. Sanchez acknowledged in a journal entry that the first day of camp at the prison was scary, but he quickly warmed to his dad.

They sat together holding hands and hugging on the final day. In a closing recital, the children sang to the group, “It doesn't matter what you did. I only see you as my daddy.”

“My heart fluttered when I saw them,” Williams said, tears streaming down his cheeks during the song. “It was surreal.” Each child will be invited to participate in camp next summer as long as their fathers remain eligible.

In the meantime, they have returned home and the majority will not see their dads for a year.

How to Get Kids Excited About Reading

If your child would rather pick up a video game controller than pick up a book, show your child how much fun reading can be. It's understandable that your child would find an action-packed television show more exciting than a book which just sits there. Although your child may read at school, make reading a part of your child's routine at home, too. This way, your child may see reading as not just a necessary part of his or her education, but as a fun source of entertainment, too.

Step 1

Let your child see you reading at home. Although you may be more likely to turn on the TV, pick up a book while you're relaxing. Your child will see you enjoying a book and want to get in on the fun, according to "Getting Children to Read" on Oprah.com.

Step 2

Keep a variety of books in your home for your child to choose from. Instead of forcing your child to read a certain book, invite him to read any book he chooses from his bookshelf. This way, your child will feel excited about reading the book that he picked, says Jessica Snyder in "Tips for Encouraging Kids to Read"


Step 3

Read aloud to your child every night before bed. Reading together will allow you and your child to spend quality time together while you unwind after a busy day. Reading together will give your child the opportunity to try out books that are slightly too difficult for her to read alone.

Step 4

Discuss books with your child after he has read them. Although your child may be reading, it does not necessarily mean that he is comprehending the book. Instead of tossing the book aside after reading it, ask your child his favorite parts of the book, his favorite characters and what he thought the book was about.

Step 5

Create a reading spot in your home. Design a comfy, quiet corner in your home that has a comfy chair and a bookshelf full of books for your child. Put up fun posters that will make your child want to hang out in her new reading space.

Jay-Z memoir coming in November

Rapper and business mogul Jay-Z is about to become an author. Publisher Spiegel & Grau will release "Decoded," a 336-page memoir, on Nov. 16.

Unlike traditional memoirs, Rolling Stone reports, Jay-Z's book will also include interviews with family and friends. The book was co-written by Dream Hampton, a former editor at the Source.

According to the report, much of the material for the book was compiled three years ago, but Jay-Z was reluctant to see its release. What's changed? Maybe Jay-Z figures that if Justin Bieber has a memoir, so can he.

-- Carolyn Kellogg

Prison Inmate Programs

In the United States, even the incarcerated have opportunities to better their lives. While institutionalized, inmates are free to participate in a number of programs and services, ranging from recreational to religious. The goal of these programs is not merely to pass the time, but to help stimulate a positive change in the inmates.

Education

Different institutions offer different educational programs. Literacy classes, wellness education and parenting classes are just several types of courses that every institution endorses. Inmates who are unfamiliar with English may take classes that teach the language.

Institutions often include vocational and occupational training courses. The job training programs involve on-the-job learning experience. Through job training, inmates become better equipped with the skills they need to re-enter the workforce once their sentence has ended.

Library access is also available to inmates. The reading material is very LIMITED. www.sureshotbooks.com is one of the best book supply sources for inmate reading materials.They cover a vast varity of selections that interest most inmates. They ship to all prison's through-out the states.

Religion

In religious programs, inmates gather for regular congregations and ceremonies, headed by a spiritual leader. These programs encourage worship and scripture study while providing spiritual guidance.

Participating inmates can observe religious holy days and, in some cases, dress in the appropriate religious attire.

These programs aim to stimulate life-changing behavior and positive attitudes.

Health

Institutions offer physical and mental health programs for inmates.

Fitness centers are accessible for those who seek to gain or maintain good health. These centers include weight lifting equipment and treadmills. Classes on nutrition are also in place to educate anyone concerned about health.

In most cases, institutions encourage group sports for both health and social reasons.

Clinical staffs of specialists are capable of treating prisoners suffering from new injuries, as well as chronic health conditions like diabetes. Of course, physical problems are only the beginning of the possible health needs. Mental conditions, such as depression, are not rare among the incarcerated. Psychologists and psychiatrists are on hand to assist inmates through counseling and treatment. Their top priority is suicide prevention.

Substance Abuse Rehabilitation

Many inmates battle with drug and alcohol addiction. Institutions are aware of this fact and act appropriately to assist in rehabilitation. Educational courses on substance and drug abuse are available, as well as treatment opportunities. Institutions typically arrange support groups to comfort individuals and aid in recovery.

These substance abuse programs have a variety of benefits for participants, including improved health conditions, reduced misconduct and increased employment opportunities upon release.

Educational Programming in Corrections

Benefits of Educational Programming in Prison
* Increases employability
* Reduces return to prison
* Reduces problem behavior during prison



Entering offenders less well educated than general population. Forty percent of state prisoners, 27% of federal prisoners, and 47% of local jail inmates do not have a high school diploma or its equivalent. Only 18% of the general population who are 18 years of age or older did not receive a high school diploma or its equivalent. The graphs below show the level of education attained for the total population of state prisoners, federal prisoners, and jail inmates. Level of attainment defined by BJS as the last completed year of school.


Who is participating in Educational Programs?

Over 50% of state and federal prisoners partticipate in educational programs. Only about 14% of the total local jail population particpate in education programs. This lower number is due to the fact that jail inmates spend less time incarcerated than prison inmates based on the nautre of their sentence. Although majority of prisons and jails mandate that inmates entering without a High School diploma participate in GED classes, only 54% of them do. This primarily due to the fact that facicilties (both jail and prisons) do not offer enough GED prep courses to accommodate the large number of inmate needing to take them. Inmates are put on waiting lists and may miss their opportunity to attain their GED while incarcerated if released before an opening in a class becomes available. This is another reason why local jail inmates have lower particpation in educational courses. Their sentences are short and more variable, if transferred to another facility, making it more difficult to wait for a class to be available. The following graphs give information as to the percentages of inmates in state prisons, federal prisons, and local jails that particpate in educational programs. Please note that the percentages may not total 100% due rounding and percentages taking into account inmates participating in more than one type of education program.

Edcuation


Vocational Training courses are the most popular among state and prison inmates. Conversely, GED/High School courses are the most popular classes among jail inmates. This difference is due to the fact that jail inmates have more access to GED and High School classes because they are incarcerated for a shorter period of time than prison inmates. Vocational training courses are only provided by 7% of local jails compared to 56% of state prisons and 94% of federal prisons. GED and High school level courses are the classes most offered by all correctional institutions for reasons previously discussed.


Correctional Education Helps Reduce Recidivism


A longitudinal study of 3,170 inmates who were released three years prior to start of the study from Maryland, Ohio, and Minnesota were followed to understand factors that influence recidivism. Educational attainment while incarcerated was the study’s main variable. The study found that participation in correctional education courses had the greatest reduction in recidivism overall, up to 22%. The graph below illustrates the study’s main findings. Information is not provided for specific educational courses taken by inmates, just whether or not they completed at least one type of educational course while incarcerated.



Individuals who participated in education courses while incarcerated had the lowest percentages overall of rearrests, reconviction, and reincarcerations. Forty-eight percent of inmates who completed education courses while incarcerated were rearrested within three years of release, compared to 57% of inmates who did not complete education courses. Twenty-seven percent of inmates who completed education courses while incarcerated were reconvicted within three years of release, compared to 35% of inmates who did not take education courses. Finally, 21% of inmates who completed education courses while incarcerated were re-incarcerated after three years of release compared to 31% of inmates who did not take education courses.



Barriers to Correctional Education


Even though reduction in recidivism is evident, there has been an overall decrease in college equivalent courses offered in prisons due to budget cuts influenced by “Get Tough on Crime” initiatives. The Higher Education Act of 1988 restricts eligibility for federal funding for education from individuals with prior convictions for possession or sale of controlled substances. In 1994 the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act was passed which among other things, prohibited inmates from receiving funding through the Federal Pell Grant Program. This ban included both inmates while incarcerated and after release. This ban was surprising due to the fact that only 1% of the total Pell Grant funds were reserved for inmate funding. In addition, no student from the general population was ever denied funding because an incarcerated individual received money instead.