An education is something many take for granted. The average, middle-class American child graduates from high school, and some go even further than that. It's a different story in prison, where many inmates missed out on the typical opportunities of the middle-class American - whether through their own poor choices or as victims of circumstance - namely an education. Regardless of a man's guilt or innocence, his felony record, or any other aspect of a haunted past, every American should have the benefit of a quality learning experience.
For me, a quality education included studying classic literature in high school English. Beyond high school, I studied even more classics in college as a theatre and literature major, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. My eyes were opened to the works of Shakespeare, Austen, Fitzgerald, Twain, Steinbeck, Dickens, Williams, Bronte, and more. I had always known that books could make my imagination soar; but when my life took a drastic change and I found myself in prison, I wanted literature to do something else: save lives.
It is a proven fact that prison inmates who obtain their high school diplomas while incarcerated are less likely to return as repeat offenders. It is also a proven fact that reading improves writing and verbal skills greatly. What better way to enhance reading comprehension and writing skills in men seeking their diplomas than teaching them the very books that meant the most to me while an eager high school scholar? That is how I came to create and teach the Learning Through Literature class I teach here at Suwannee Correctional Institution's work camp. Not only has it introduced classic novels to men who would likely never select them from the library bookshelf, but reading scores for those who have participated have increased across the board. One step closer to an education; one step closer to saving a life.
It has been amazing witnessing grown men come to the graphic conclusion of Robert Newton Peck's A Day No Pigs Would Die; discovering the exhilarating sense of freedom reading about Jim and Huck's adventures on the Mississippi in Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; and soon they will experience the tragic heartache of doomed lovers Heathcliff and Catherine in Bronte's Wuthering Heights. These are three books the Prison Book Program has been generous enough to supply for my classes. With each book they send - not just to us but to prisoners across the country - Karen {PBP liaison} and her non-profit company are saving lives.
It is my belief that books open windows and an education (in turn) open doors.
It is for this reason that books and education go hand in hand. If I can reach one fellow inmate with this literature, then my efforts will not have been in vain. If I can create another lover of reading while pushing a man towards graduation, even better.
Join the fight against recidivism - fight future crime with books and education. I will be eternally grateful and respectful of Prison Book Program for playing a leading role in that fight.
