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| Literacy: a way out for at-risk youth |
When the Prison Doors Slams Shut On a
Teen:
Hope in Literacy
Promoting
literacy for incarcerated teens is a challenge. Encouraging reluctant readers
to read is only one of many obstacles. Ask Karlan Sick, the current chair of Literacy for Incarcerated
Teens (LIT), a nonprofit library services organization that supports school
libraries at the New York City school programs for incarcerated youth. Sick, a
retired public librarian, recognizes the literacy needs of incarcerated teens
stating, “while detention centers are
mandated by law to have schools,” libraries are not.[1]
Former
executive-director of LIT and a former school librarian in a juvenile detention
center, Jessica Fenster-Sparber, observes that “jails, detention centers, and
prisons provide a unique opportunity to address young people’s literacy
gaps…excellent school libraries are in dire need at these sites.”[2]
The Challenges
There is a lot
more to consider than just encouraging reluctant readers to read. Challenges
include:
1.Collection
development.
2.Institutional
compliance and cooperation.
3.Inclusion of
incarcerated teens as part of the public library’s young adult/outreach
services.
4.Collaboration
with school, correctional facilities and public libraries.
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