The jail book club I helped run banned 'self-help' books and it actually worked better

I volunteer at the county lockup here in Spokane and for 6 months we kept trying to hand out books about anger management and job skills but nobody showed up. A CO told me straight up 'they want to read stuff that doesn't feel like homework.' So we switched to graphic novels and sci-fi short stories and our attendance jumped from 3 guys to 14 in two weeks. It made me realize we keep trying to force 'rehab' content on people instead of just letting them enjoy reading and building that habit naturally. Has anyone else seen a program get better results by accidentally ditching the 'educational' part?

3 comments

3 Comments

diana_kim668d ago

14 guys in two weeks is good numbers but is a book club really going to change someone's life just because they read a graphic novel? I've seen programs claim quick turnarounds before and then the recidivism rates stay the same six months later. It just seems like a lot of pressure to put on a hobby that's supposed to be fun.

jakewhite8d ago

Give the program a chance, maybe hobbies can change people.

jamief678d ago

Yeah that's fair @diana_kim66. Real talk though even if it's just a few dudes finding one thing that clicks for them that's a win in my book. Recidivism isn't a problem you fix in two weeks but planting a seed counts for something. Better than sitting around doing nothing like before. And honestly graphic novels are fun but they can hit hard too.