Cradle to Prison Pipeline

Many of the literature and statistics point to the relation between illiteracy  and incarceration.  The Dept. of Justice estimates that by 2020,  the juvenile prison population will be 36% higher than 2000.  

85% of all juveniles in the juvenile court system are functionally illiterate
Comparative rate of Juvenile Incarceration- rate per 100, 000

•Australia-   24.9•England and Wales  - 46.8

•Germany 23.1
•Japan 0. 1
•Netherlands -  51.3
•New Zealand – 68
•South Africa - 69
•Sweden 4.1
United States -   336.0

   The Children's Defense Fund has information about the Cradle to Prison Pipeline. 

The New Jim Crow

I am currently reading The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration In the Age of Colorblindness, by Michell Alexander.  Interesting,  since we are  number one  in the world at our rate of incarceration.  She talks about Mass Incarceration on You Tube.  

Midday with Dan Rodricks

Yesterday I got the opportunity to to tell a wide audience about prison libraries. I was guest on the Midday show hosted by Dan Rodricks, on WYPR, 88.1. I talked about diminished funding, what prisoners read, and answered some call in listeners. Because of the show, I have had several email offering donations. I truly enjoyed this occasion to promote prison libraries, and thank Mr. Rodricks for making this happen.

MCTC prison

Meditation program for prisoners. Several community groups now conduct programs like YOGA or meditation in some of our prisons. Yesterday's newspaper Washington Times had an article of a program with inmates at Maryland Correctional Training Center

Games Criminals Play

So you are contemplating a career in prison librarianship. Great. I hope you are not doing this out of missionary zeal- helping those poor unfortunate disadvantaged prisoners. As a prison librarian you will be providing for the information, educational, and leisure reading needs of your users, just like you would in a public library setting.

Some of us are not prepared and have difficulty in dealing with the rigidities, inflexibility, and vagaries of the prison bureacracy. We librarians have a culture of sharing and helping our patrons. Sometimes the security staff are suspicious of our work. A worthwhile book to read is , GAMES CRIMINALS PLAY: HOW YOU CAN PROFIT BY KNOWING THEM, by Bud Allen and Diana Bosta. You can find it on Amazon. It has all kinds of scenarios, some extreme, but it prepares you for working in a prison environment. Read the customers' reviews on Amazon as well.

MacCreaigh and Clark describe some inmate profiles in: Library Services To The Incarcerated: Applying the Public Library Model In Correctional Facility Libraries. These librarians who work in prisons describe the following categories of inmates: The Bully, The Romeo, The Suck-up, The Brown Noser, The Pod Father or Mother. I have encountered everyone of the types they describe. Did I leave out the Jailhouse Lawyer?