Reading Gives Inmates Hope for the Future
posted 3:58 pm Fri January 25, 2008 - Washington
"I have to cry for my mother, my sisters and my brothers, I have to cry for me," says 21-year-old Lamarzs Wilson. He has figured out how to let go of his troubled past.
"I can write anything down. If I'm feeling a certain way, I can write it down, right then and get it off my chest and that's just, just leave it at that and forget about it. I'd rather write than punch a wall."
After a difficult childhood, going in and out of foster homes, he landed in the D.C. Jail at 15-years-old on weapons and drug charges. It's in jail where he discovered Free Minds. The book club's organizers, Kelli Taylor and Tara Libert, sent him more books while he was in federal prison, put him in touch with a pen-pal and encouraged his poetry writing.
Now, he's learning carpentry at the Alexandria Seaport Foundation. Libert says Wilson is just one shining example of what studies have shown. Literacy and education can lower the risk of returning to crime after release. "Before they entered Free Minds, their way of expressing themselves was through violence. And we want them to pick up a pen, instead of a gun."
Wilbert Avila is another example. He joined Free Minds after entering the D.C. Jail four years ago when he was 16-years-old. "I started reading about those things and I started thinking 'bout my future. I would never think about my future, I would always think day-to-day."Now, he's a sophomore in college, works in building maintenance and volunteers for the Campaign for Youth Justice. Both men say they credit the free minds book club with changing their lives.
Since the program began in 2002, Free Minds has served more than 230 young men, either through the book club itself, continuing support while those inmates are in a federal facility or by helping them re-enter society when released.
Latest Comment on Reading Gives Inmates Hope for the Future
turfdoggle
12:11 am on 01/27/08
Hey there EGod,
You might reread the story above and note that 230 young men have been through the program, not 26.
As it turns out my sister is one of the founders of Free Minds. Not every kid turns the corner but there are a lot of success stories. I get to hear about them and it makes me pretty proud of her.
She's a good Christian who walks the talk. It's saving you a few tax dollars too. So what's your story?
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