Rasco From RIF

RIF and GLW Reach Out to At-Risk Youth

June 2nd, 2009

In a mid-May blog entry on Guys Lit Wire (GLW) I read: “We are moving today into the second phase of GLW, where we put our money where our mouth is and physically act on getting books into the hands of boys that otherwise have none. Today we start the first two week Guys Lit Wire Book Fair for Boys to help the teens incarcerated in the L.A. County Juvenile Justice System. They have no books – at all – and they need them; they need them desperately.”

In additional to applauding this activity, I commented then how RIF operates programs for youth in juvenile facilities. Since then I have heard from several people asking more about this facet RIF programming. RIF operates 13 Books for Ownership programs in juvenile corrections facilities in 11 states. Additionally, six Books for Ownership programs operate in secure juvenile psychiatric hospital wards in four states. These programs all together serve over 58,000 young people each year providing each with new, free books of their choosing coupled with literacy activities. Countless other RIF programs around the country that operate primarily in traditional settings also have one or two sites in juvenile correctional facilities. Many of these children and youth are often significantly limited in their autonomy and ability to retain personal possessions.

RIF also serves incarcerated parents in the Federal Bureau of Prisons system, two state departments of corrections and two other agencies that provide services to inmates and their families. We are reaching over 17,000 children of these inmates each year, providing them not only with new, free books, but with a means of interacting with their incarcerated parent. The programs operate using one of two different models for distributing books. In some cases, the children select RIF books during visits to their incarcerated parent, and the parent and child read and participate in literacy activities together at the correctional facility. Other times due to distance, prison security levels or other family circumstances, it is not possible for children to visit their incarcerated parents. In those cases parents select books to send to their children. The books are often accompanied by letters or a recording of the parent reading the book aloud. Parents and children can then correspond about the book and about other books the children might like for future RIF selections. In addition to the programs for adults noted here, over 1,800 other active RIF programs have indicated they serve some children who have incarcerated parents.

I again heartily commend Guys Lit Wire for its efforts on behalf of the boys of the L.A. County Juvenile Justice System.  Anyone wishing to learn more about how you might partner with RIF to serve families and/or youth in similar circumstances, please contact me!

Happy reading!

Carol

Filed under: Achievement Gap, RIF Programs, RIF Speaking Engagements

Tags: Books for Ownership Program, Guys Lit Wire, L.A. County Juvenile Justice System, Reading Is Fundamental, RIF