Formerly Incarcerarted Chris Wilson

Great to see how libraries help incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals.  Recently, I attended an event in Baltimore where a panelist of successful individuals shared their stories. One panelists was Chris Wilson who  was incarcerated at age 17, spent 16 years in the Maryland prison system, and shared how he used the prison library constantly.  Now back in the community, he is using the skills learned in prison  to maintain his business, Barclay Investment Corporation.   Second Life details his life story to date.

http://www.baltimoremagazine.net/2015/9/29/chris-wilson-lifts-ex-offenders-into-the-workforce

Walter Lomax Wrongfully Convicted

Walter Lomax, released from Maryland prison system about 8 years ago, continued his fight to prove his innocence.  The 6pm news today showed a triumphant Walter at the courthouse step, finally vindicated.  Walter was one of the inmates who worked with me on the Family Literacy Program where prisoners read to their children.  I remembered my blog post when I first saw him on the street in 2008. Waiting to Hear Barak Obama

http://prisonlibrarian.blogspot.com/search/label/ex%20offender

Congratulations to Walter

Dan Rodricks and an Ex Offender

In a recent article in The Baltimore Sun, Dan Rodricks featured an ex offender who is back in society after 30 years.   Reentry is often difficult for many inmates.  For those with long sentences as Mr. Grant, in Dan's article, when they return they face changed roads, cities, streets, housing, family changes and  or estrangement.
  Perhaps the only stable for many  is the poverty or run down areas that they left behind.  It is tough to be successful, especially when in prison they little or no access to technology that is so necessary to even apply for a job.
Often their most realistic lifeline to the outside is the information they get from their  Prison Libraries.  My hope is that once they are outside the fence,  they will visit  public libraries to help them in their quest for jobs, housing, and community resources.

Prison Library Consultant

I do workshops for Divisions of Corrections, Public Libraries that oversee jails and detention centers, agencies serving ex-offenders, and library schools to create awareness of this disadvantaged group.
Training identifies, inmate characteristics, sources of new books,  funding sources, web sites, community resources, and programs in preparation for reentry back to the community.

Contact me if you have any questions:  Glennor Shirley, email: glennors66@yahoo.com 

Ex Offender at MLA Conference

Successful ex offenders make great speakers.  At the Maryland Library Association Conference, Antoine kept the audience riveted as he told them of his crime, his stay in prison and his  successful reentry, made possible due to the help of the other speaker,  Jack, his first employer. 

In the film , Past Forward Jack and Antoine tell part of their stories

http://www.pastforwardmd.org/index.cfm?page=profile_antoine

Public Libraries and Ex Offenders

 Inside the fence,  the Prison Library is often the lifeline for  prisoners who need information   for their cases and for transition back into their communities. Most inmates say they never go to the public libraries when they are in the community.  Yet they have children who attend schools and other  family members who would benefit from the range of services in the libraries.

At the Maryland Library Association Conference in Ocean City in May, I will be one of the presenters for a workshop that will encourage public librarians to promote their services to soon to be released inmates and to ex offenders.

Title of the workshop is:

Returning Residents: Libraries and the Information Needs of Ex-Offenders.

My co presenters will be an employer of ex offenders and an ex offender who has successfully transitioned back to society and is working with at risk youths.  

 

I will be highlighting the great model from Hennepin County Library    FREEDOM TICKET

Some of the sites featured will include:

• ·   http://wdr.doleta.gov/research/FullText_Documents/Preparing_for_Life_Beyond_Prison_Walls_The_Literacy_of_Incarcerated_Adults_Near_Release.p  

•  National Resource Center

http://www.nationalreentryresourcecenter.org/

• Sites for housing, drug addiction, job hunt, family relations, community resources., etc

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

Another prison Library blog

This morning my email pointed me to another prison library blog from Washington State. The experience and sentiment of the Librarian is exactly how I feel working first as a prison librarian and now as the prison library coordinator. I love the letter from the ex offender. I have several experiences similar to hers. I recorded them in my blog Waiting to see Barack on February 11, and in a letter I received on May 17, 2008. Some of my feel good library stories are recorded in Vignettes

Hope

Today I saw hope dim in the eyes of a man
He bubbled with enthusiasm, happy to be considered for an interview.
His answers to our questions showed us he was well prepared for the interview. He was happy to be considered and he wanted to convince us he would do a good job.
He lacked experience in our specific area, but we had no doubt he was trainable.
We gave him the opportunity to ask questions. He said he had many. I mentioned “security”. He looked puzzled and asked for clarification. We explained that our interview scoring was one thing, but we had to submit names of potential applicants to DOC for final approval.
“DOC?” he asked. “Division of Corrections”, I said. We explained that everyone gets a security check and because he was still on probation, they may be reluctant to allow entry. He listened quietly, his enthusiasm replaced by a wary look. Initially he said he had many questions but now when I prompted him, he said he had no more questions as he closed his folder with a resigned air and thanked us again for considering him for an interview.
Today I saw hope dim in the eyes of a man.

Letter From an Ex Offender

February, I posted an entry about my chance encounter with an ex offender who was waiting to see Barak Obama at the Baltimore Arena. This week, my mailbox included a package that enclosed a book titled, Mandela Conquers the Cut: Essays from Prison, by Walter Mandela Lomax. The accompanying letter read:
Mrs. Shirley
I must say, seeing you at the Barack Obama rally, was something we both never expected 18 months ago. Having my freedom has opened many doors, and attending events such as the Obama rally are some of those rewards.
I just released one of my books, "Mandela Conquers the Cut,' (copy enclosed) and would like to have it placed in the prison library's. There is already a request from prisoners to have it mailed to them, but their family must order it off line. Most of the major distributors have it, and if necessary I can also give some copies.

It was a pleasure having had the opportunity to work with you in the Family Literacy, the experience was rewarding.

I immediately checked and saw that his book is available at Amazon Book Store. I plan to purchase copies for all the prisons. I am happy that in some small way I made a difference to an individual who spent 39 years in prison. Some of my feel good prison librarian stories are recorded in Interface.