NCJ Number
217038
Journal
Corrections Today Magazine Volume: 68 Issue: 7 Dated: December 2006 Pages: 30-32
Date Published
December 2006
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article describes the Orange County Jail’s Literature-N-Living program for male and female juvenile inmates in Orlando FL.
Abstract
Considered a gleaming success, the Literature-N-Living program focuses on enhancing the reading capacity, comprehension, thought processes, and experiences of male and female juvenile offenders. Facilitated by volunteers, inmates, and correctional staff, the program is able to operate on a small budget that includes just enough to purchase the books. The program is open to 9 juvenile inmates who are chosen based on their interest and teacher and correctional staff recommendation. Several classes run at once to accommodate different reading levels and there are two categories of classes: (1) the P.R.I.D.E. (Prisoners Reading in Detention Environment) class, which is facilitated by staff or a community volunteer; and (2) the J.A.I.L. (Juveniles Assisting In Learning) program, which is facilitated by a carefully chosen juvenile offender. The books chosen for the program are a blend of classic and contemporary work. The classes meet approximately once a week for 1 hour. Assignments include group discussion of the book, written assignments, and tests. Students who fail to adequately participate face disciplinary sanctions that include a negative letter to the judge and expulsion from the program. Following successful graduation from the Literature-N-Living program, graduates are allowed to have a family meal with a designated number of family members. Additionally, following graduation, the class sends a class picture and all class assignments to the author of the book. In many cases, the authors write letters of thanks or even visit the inmates. Exhibits