Can a paperback copy of Russell Banks’ The Sweet Hereafter do what jail cannot – change an offender’s life
for the better?
Readers know that books can take us to other worlds, provide
entertainment, information, insight, solace. Now there is evidence that
literature can also transform the lives of people in the justice system.
The Changing Lives Through Literature (CLTL) program was
created in 1991 by UMass-Dartmouth professor Robert Waxler and his friend, Bob
Kane, a judge. Kane was fed up with a “turnstile” justice system that saw the
same people commit the same crimes as soon as they walked out the jail door. Waxler
was determined to test his belief in the power of literature to reach places
inside the minds and hearts of offenders where real change could take place. New studies support Waxler’s hypothesis, showing that among other things, reading
helps develop empathy, and that increased empathy can lead to changes in behavior.
The original CLTL program included eight men who had 145
convictions, many of them felony convictions. Waxler wanted to test his program
with “tough guys” who would prove that he hadn’t stacked the deck with more
highly educated, less dangerous participants. At the end of the program, the
tough guys’ recidivism rate was only 19 percent, compared to 45 percent for the general
prison population. The results were impressive, but Waxler said that the
statistics were not what interested him. He knew the program was working when
one young drug dealer told him of his excitement at reading Jack London’s Sea Wolf, and how his newfound love of
books led him to start reading to his three-year-old daughter.
How does CLTL work? Offenders serve part of their sentence
by meeting in small groups to discuss books such as The Autobiography of Malcolm X or Just Listen by Sarah Dessen. These and the other books chosen for the program have characters that face serious
choices and issues. The most unique part of CLTL is the participation of
members of the legal and law enforcement communities. Participants could find
themselves talking about Langston Hughes’ poems with a judge or a probation
officer, and a college professor facilitator. By sitting around a table,
listening to each other, participants feel valued for their ideas, not judged
for their crimes. Participants see each other as human beings, not as
statistics or faceless uniforms.
CLTL programs are in place in 14 states and have been
adopted in the UK. One longitudinal study of 600 CLTL participants in
Massachusetts showed a 60 percent drop in recidivism for those who completed the
program and a 16 percent drop for those who did not. In cases where participants
reoffended, there was a significant drop in the number and severity of the type
of crime committed. These are better results than many more expensive programs,
and the program has been particularly effective for juvenile offenders.
With U. S. Bureau of Justice statistics stating that
prisoners cost U. S. taxpayers more than $70 billion
and
the New York Times reporting that 1 in 100 Americans are currently or have been
in the criminal justice system, we need ideas and programs like CLTL.
Compare $70 billion to the cost of a box of paperback books,
a facilitator, and an hour a week around a table in a library.
As the CLTL webpage states, literature has the power to
transform. Yet, one article I read stated that CLTL has been a “hard sell” to
government officials, who doubt the effectiveness of a literature based
program.
You have to wonder. Why would states prefer to spend
billions on jails instead of buying a few boxes of books?
Is there a book that changed your life?
I can understand how reading helps cut recidivism. Although some might disagree, I feel that TV, movies and video games are two dimensional. In books, there is another dimension--the author and the voice. What does that offer--another thought process, another set of values, another way of life. People who don't read, who are stuck in the rut of poverty/crime/jail/no skills, etc. often can't see any other way to live life. Reading gets them out of their criminal microcosm. Thanks for giving us the statistics, Shari. It's wonderful news. Education pays off.
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to know whether reading literature is the key or the small group get-together with their positive reinforcement. However, since reading the literature facilitates the small group discussions, we do know the combination works.
ReplyDeleteAs to why governments spend money rather than do something rational, need we look further than a Congress who shuts down the government, but guarantees workers will be paid anyway to illustrate that politics and good policy are often at loggerheads. People who want to work and a public who wants their services can’t have them because of stupidity.
Same with the criminal justice system. Many people want only punishment and retribution and neglect society’s net worth after the person has served their sentence.
~ Jim
Thank you for information about this inspiring program, Shari. It's good to hear about something that works! For prisoners, or anyone who feels "stuck", books offer a different perspective, new possibilities and hope for a better life.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great program, Shari. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great program, Shari. I think I'll check into donating some of my many, many books to a prison in our county. Of course, in this program the success might stem mostly from groups reading and discussing the same books and single books might not work as well.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many people in prison that prison guards have become a voting block politicians have to pay attention to.
ReplyDeleteHi E.B., I've seen some research that supports your feeling about the extra "dimension" of reading, that can reach people on a level that film and games cannot.
ReplyDeleteJim, these past few weeks have been pretty crazy. Just hope that January doesn't bring more of the same.
Kara, Gloria, and Sarah, Thank you for your thoughts and for thinking of sharing your books with others!
Warren, I did not know that! I did learn a lot about the growth of the prison industry while researching this post. It's sad that some people's livelihoods depend on more people being put in jail.
I collect & donate books (starting with several copies of my own books) to the library in the prison where I used to work. I know firsthand how having things to read that interest them keep some people sane in the crazy, stressful world of prison.
ReplyDeleteLast year, that prison had a grand total of $500 to spend on non-legal reference material. Three daily newspapers are purchased for the library, and that took up well over half of the budget.
I'm not familiar with the program Shari's talking about, but it sounds like a good one. Any time inmates can relate in small groups as people, not inmates, it's beneficial. And reading is beneficial. A win-win program.