TELEGRAPH-JOURNAL

Article published: Saturday, September 2, 2000

Inmates turning a new page

By Mark Reed  Telegraph-Journal

Inmates in Dorchester could soon be reading story books to school children if education officials give the project the go-ahead. 

A group of 10 inmates at the minimum security Westmorland Institute is currently hard at work reading

books like Monkey See, Monkey Do, Stinky Cheese Man, and Frog Went A'Courtin.
The inmates – who are serving time for a variety of crimes – are taping their reading sessions and hope to send the books and tapes to schools in District 2, to be used to help kids learn to read. 

I really like reading [because] I get to show I actually care about other people than just myself," said Glen Vautour, a burly, goateed Richibucto man who is serving time for being an accomplice to armed robbery. Helping children [is] my main concern.

The reading program is being organized by instructors in the Westmorland Institute's adult literacy program and the Scholastics publishing company.  On Friday, the literacy instructors invited the media to the Westmorland

Institute to meet the convicts who are taping the children's books. In a sparse, cramped classroom, Pierre Stewart sits at a table, flipping through a copy of Monkey See, Monkey Do.

Before him sits a high-tech recording machine, complete with an ambient microphone. Mr. Stewart,a thin 22-year old from Acadiaville, taped the Monkey See book for the reading program.

Mr. Stewart declined to say what crime brought him to the institution. But he was quick to say that he's trying to make amends.

" I did a crime. I didn't learn from my mistake"," he said. "Now I'm in here, trying to help myself by doing a new step".

Mr. Stewart, like many inmates, has problems reading. Education statistics show that more than 46 percent of Canadians read at less than a Grade 6 level.

Last May, officials with the Scholastics Company started working with instructors and inmates here on the reading program.

So far, the inmates have recorded 50 different books, including Bat Jamboree, Best Friends Wear Pink Tutus, and Huggly Takes a Bath. They ultimately hope to have more than 100 selections taped and ready to send to schools.

The first step, however, is convincing education officials that parents will tolerate inmates reading to their children.

Literacy teacher Rosemary Pineau said the inmates will not meet the children who receive their books, nor  will they identify themselves by their full names on the tapes. The inmates' crimes will not be listed on the tapes, either.

However, Rick McAtee, a reading consultant with Scholastics, admits that some parents may have concerns. 

"Some people won't accept the project because it [involves] inmates and that's fine. That's the choice they make," he said. "[But] this is a way to bring the community to inmates as well as [bring the] inmates to the community. We want [inmates] to feel good about something they can contribute".

Scott Jardine, a literacy teacher at the Institute, said the inmates volunteering in the program have shown remarkable improvements, not only with their own reading skills, but also with their general attitudes.

"These guys dance around with these books under their arms"," he said. "It's just amazing. They just feel so much better about themselves".

Heather Jones, director of education for School District 2, said she plans to introduce the inmate-reading program to members of the District Parent Advisory Committee at its next meeting later this month. Ms. Jones said at its most basic level, the reading program would give schools valuable learning tools.

However, she also said parents must be comfortable with the idea of inmates reading to their children before the idea can become reality.

"I see all kinds of potential connected with it"," she said of the reading program. "[However] it's an outreach program for the penitentiary. There has to be that comfort level with parents".

Meanwhile, convicts like Norman McCarty, a lanky 36-year old from Saint John, will continue reading and taping more storybooks.

Mr. McCarty's latest book was called Legend of Bluebonnet – the story of a young native girl who gives up her doll to save the community.

Both Mr. McCarty and Mr. Stewart said that reading and taping these stories for children makes them feel like productive members of society.

Ultimately, the inmates hope that teaching the children to read will keep them from entering the criminal world.  "I never had no one to help me, to sit down and read a book and show me what the pictures mean", " Mr. Stewart said. "I don't want [other children] to turn around and do what I did. Jail [isn't] a place for anybody".

return to the top of the page

    DORCHESTER – Inmates at the Westmorland Institute here admitted yesterday they were a little skittish at first about the

notion of tape-recording children's books for elementary school students. The idea sounded pretty far-fetched.
    Spinning the adventures of Katy No-Pocket, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Farm and Rooster Off to See the World for young children in classrooms miles away, did not appear to them to be the normal fare of the rehabilitation process. But after a

few weeks and 50 recorded books later, they were enthusiastic. They talked with pride about trying to make a contribution to society and perhaps steering children in the right direction to avoid the mistakes that landed them behind bars.
    I wish I had someone to read to me as a child," notes Pierre Stewart. Maybe things would have turned out different.  But I had to do everything by myself."
    Glen Vautour supported the contention, adding that one of the main reasons I'm doing this is that I don't want them to have to go through what I went through. I don't want them going down the same road I went down." Glenn White says he has two small children himself, and imagines they are sitting there, listening to the stories that he is reading into the recorder.
     It makes me more comfortable, so that when I'm telling the stories, I can do it in a way that will hold their interest," said White. You have to make it fun when you're dealing with children."
    Having inmates recording books for the younger students is the brainchild of Rosemary Pineau,a Level 2 (Grade 7-8)  school teacher  in   the minimum security institution, and Rick McAtee who works with at-risk, elementary students in Tucson, Ariz.

Pineau said she met McAtee at a recent convention on literacy in Ottawa. She said they got to talking about the connection between at-risk children and inmates and came up with the idea for the book reading program.
      She said the participants, which is now up to 10 or more, are asked to read the children's story by themselves, then read it aloud to two or three other inmates, before they start recording it. And of  course, it has to be read with expression, not in a monotone, as children can lose interest quickly, she added.
     She made it clear, said Pineau, that the final result has to be perfect and that not the slightest glitch or mistake can be left in the story.
     "They fought me about it at first, claiming it would be impossible for them to be absolutely perfect in reading the story", she said. "I told them that they would just have to keep doing it until it was perfect. Now, they are more picky than me", she laughed, adding "they are taking pride in it"."
    Pineau said 50 tapes have been completed since they started the program and they will be doing another 100 books before it is finished. She said she and McAtee, who is in Dorchester assisting in the program before returning to Arizona next week, are trying to schedule a meeting next Tuesday with School District 2 superintendent Jim Stevenson.
    She said they will discuss making the tapes available for use by teachers in the lower grades. A packet containing four children's books and accompanying tapes would be made available to each teacher.
    The books have been loaned, free of charge, to the institution for the program by Scholastic, a New York based publisher of children's books. She said McAtee, who used to work for Scholastic, was instrumental in securing the contribution.
     Pineau said the program could be made available in District 2 schools as early as November. If this pilot at the Westmorland Institute is successful, she said it can be expanded into other area correctional facilities, such as Dorchester Penitentiary, Westmorland Institute in Renous, Springhill and the Truro Women's Institute. McAtee said the inmate only identifies himself by his first name and then begins reading the story. He said that is the full extent of communication or personal knowledge of any kind between him and the youngsters.
     He is certain, he said, that 30 percent of the teachers would be immediately in favour of using the tapes. And most of the others, once they heard the tapes, would be just as eager to take part in the program, he added. Reading is the basis of education, explained McAtee, noting that if a child does not learn to read properly at an early age, then, he or she will falter in writing, English, social studies and even trying to solve a math problem. And to learn and develop this interest, youngsters need first to be read to by an adult.
     In an age where both parents are working or a parent has to take a second job to make ends meet, he said many don't often have the time to read to their children. Here, the teacher can fill this important need and these tapes would be an excellent way for them to do it, he said.
     As for the inmates, McAtee said it will greatly improve their own reading abilities. The books may be aimed at the children, but he noted 70 percent of an adult's vocabulary would still be included in them.
     He said it gives them a sense of accomplishment in providing a service for society, especially the children, and this has

to help them when they are eventually released from prison. He noted he will be introducing the same program in Tucson in January 2001.

return to the top of the page

By Christopher Gooding  Telepgraph-Journal

    RIVERVIEW – School District 2 students will soon breeze through their books, thanks to inmates at Westmorland Institute in Dorchester.
    Turning a New Page, a literary program which has generated some controversy, held a seminar on the project for teachers here Tuesday.
    Directed by beginning readers, the project saw inmates reading children's stories provided by U.S.-based Scholastic Books onto tape. Each tape is provided with the storybook and teachers will take the learning kits to their class for three weeks before returning them with comments and suggestions on which stories and methods are successful using the kids as educational tools.
     Teachers attending the seminar were told the development of the project, by project directors Rosemary Pineau and Rick McAtee, before selecting which of the 150 different kits developed they would take to their class.
     It's one of those projects where everyone wins," said Warden Mike Corbett. I don't know who benefits the most and it really doesn't matter – everyone benefits."
     When we realized what this resource could do for our schools – this is a gift," said Eric Peters, School District 2 supervisor.
     Benefits of the program for inmates have become evident, as well. Mrs. Pineau said the reading program has created confidence in participants. Getting inmates with little reading skill was a challenge, she said, but as their skill developed so did their pride.
     At first, they would walk with the books hidden in their jackets," she said. Now they walk with them out in the open."
     Dorchester correctional officer Joe McKenzie is also seeing a change for the better, especially in one 60-year old inmate whose reading skill was almost non-existent.
     We got him about three years ago and I believe he's at a Grade 4 or 5 level now," Mr. McKenzie said. Helping children was the motivation the inmate needed to be involved in the project and has since shown positive steps in his rehabilitation.
     We were half afraid we'd have to house him for life. Since the project, he's totally turned around. I hope it continues," Mr. McKenzie said.
     Inmate Glen White was one of the first volunteers for the project and gave one of the learning kits to his children for Christmas.  My children really enjoyed it," he said.
     Having read some stories as many as 80 times to produce near-perfect products, Mr. White found the experience frustrating at times, but it provided him a special opportunity for himself, children learning to read and his family.
     They haven't seen me for a while, I can read to my children through the tapes," Mr. White said.  Turning a New Page will take teachers' suggestions and comments in three weeks before analyzing results and developing the project further.

return to the top of the page

By Yvon Gauvin   Times & Transcript Staff

     Andrew's voice was confident as he read a paragraph from a children's book before school teachers and distinguished guests in Moncton yesterday during a review of a unique prison literacy project.
     Andrew, and his friend Shawn, are among a small group of inmates at Dorchester's Westmorland Institution involved in a pilot project aimed at improving their level of literacy while building their confidence and reading ability.
     That project was showcased yesterday in a testimonial at the Delta Beausejour Hotel.   Among the guests was New Brunswick Lieutenant-Governor Marilyn Trenholme Counsel who praised the effort and its potential in the schools.
     The project to create audio tapes of children's books not only helped inmates improve their reading fluency but the tapes and books found their way into District 2 schools where they helped stimulate young minds and encourage reading

at an early age.
     After one year of trials, the special literacy program seems destined to expand.   Other prison facilities in other provinces and in the United States are following the project with interest, said one project spokesman.
     The project's success was evident when it was announced that Correctional Service of Canada was buying more computers and more sophisticated audio equipment while the publishing firm Scholastic Canada was offering another 100 books and expensive computer software for the project. Scholastic has already donated 200 books for the project.

The aim is to raise the number of classrooms using the tapes to reach more and more children. The project is shooting to have at least 60 classrooms involved by the end of the year.
     "Turning a New Page: the Westmorland Institution Literacy Project" was a celebration of the project's success.  Dorchester warden Mike Corbett was on hand yesterday to attest to the benefits of the project.
     The next generation of books – about 200 have already been placed on tape – will include Harry Potter works, said Corbett. Children can be at risk if they don't have someone to read to them, or hear the words spoken stimulating the mind, he said.

return to the top of the page

    Books-on-tape program helps not only youngsters learn to read, but participating inmates as well

    Michael Johnstone picks Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone from a wall shelf, sits down and slowly and carefully begins to read aloud, enunciating each word carefully for his audience - a tape recorder.

    A inmate at the Westmorland Institution in Dorchester, Michael is a participant and aide in Turning a New Page, a

program whereby inmates at the institution read books aloud, recording them onto tapes that are then lent out to schools in District 2 to help students learn how to read. With his British accent Michael was a natural to record the Harry Potter series.

    "Turning a New Page is a program I have been using in my classroom for the past year and a half as a way to encourage inmates to learn to improve their reading skills," explains Rosemary Pineau, a teacher at Westmorland and the founder of Turning a New Page. "In some cases, the inmates didn't see the value in working to improve their reading skills, but as they got involved with this program, their enthusiasm picked up and they were more eager to learn."

    Michael agrees.

    "This program is one that is incredibly beneficial for inmates such as myself," he says. "Being involved in it gives us a sense of worth because we know we're helping other people, and improves our reading skills."

    Plans for the program began in May of 2000 when Rick McAtee, a reading consultant and Rosemary's brother, evaluated the reading skills of inmates at Westmorland, looking for a way to increase their reading comprehension.

    "Rick's solution was to have the inmates read children's books in order to slowly build up their skills and prevent them from becoming frustrated with their efforts," Rosemary says. "What we then needed was a way to motivate the inmates to read children's books, and that eventually lead to the Turning a New Page program, something that would benefit everyone involved."

    The program got under way in July of 2000 when the first donation of books, five copies of 100 different titles, arrived from Scholastic. Two inmates were involved with the project initially, but that number quickly grew and the inmates began reading the books aloud and recording them onto tapes.

    "Six inmates are presently involved in the program, but we've had between 60 and 65 take part in the program over the past few years," says Rosemary. "They get involved for a variety of reasons: to improve their own reading skills, give something back to the community or because they want to reach out to their own kids.  As part of the program, for every four books an inmate records for the program, he is allowed to record and send one book to his child."

    On the recordings the inmates make for the schools they introduce the book by saying its title and only their first name.  On the recordings they make for their own children, they introduce the book and say "It's dad."

    "Recording the books is actually much more difficult than it first seems," says Rosemary. "These books have to be recorded perfectly, so an inmate is required to prove that he has read the book perfectly through three times to another person before he can record."

    Once the books are recorded - in a simple soundproof booth built especially for the Turning a New Page program - one tape and four books are put into a clear plastic bag and inventoried. As per an agreement reached in October of 2000 with School District 2, that went into effect in January of 2001, these books are then placed in various classrooms on a lending basis of three-and-a-half weeks. Once the three-and-a-half weeks are up the books are returned to the District Office, picked up by the institution, inventoried and the class's next order is prepared.

    "We now have over 280 packages of books and tapes circulating in District 2, and we're planning a special celebration when we reach the 300 mark," says Rosemary. "The response from teachers and students has been just overwhelming.  We frequently receive cards of thanks for the work that is being done through this program."

    And Rosemary is working to up the benefits of the Turning a New Page program.

    "A professional development day for correctional educators took place here at Westmorland September 30, and for District 2 teachers on October 1 and 2, in order to provide more information about the program to educators, and give them a chance to talk to inmates here at Westmorland who are involved in the program about how to deal with students who are having trouble reading," says Rosemary. "These sessions were such successes that we have decided to hold two more similar conferences for teachers in District 2 in the new year. The first will be held January 27 and 28, and the second will be held April 29 and 30."

    These workshops will, like the workshops held earlier this fall, allow teachers and inmates to discuss effective methods of classroom discipline, ways of improving the way students learn and how to effectively deal with a student who is having trouble reading.

    "We want to help teachers get the best from their students by having the students want to be in the classroom," says Rosemary.

"What better way to help teachers learn how to make learning to read fun than to have them discuss the issue with grown men who have struggled with reading and learned to love it?"

    The Turning a New Page program is also expanding into other correctional institutions. Gisele Smith, the warden of Nova Institution for Women in Truro, N.S., has agreed to have the project implemented at that correctional facility and the institution is currently in the process of building a soundproof booth to record the books onto tapes in.

    "It will be several months before books recorded at Nova will be ready to send out to Nova Scotia schools, but it's great to see the program catching on in other areas," says Rosemary.

    Mike Corbett, warden at Westmorland Institution agrees.

    "If people knew how much the inmates at this institution contribute to the community through programs like Turning a New Page, Toys for Tots, the Children's Wish Foundation and work releases, they would be surprised," he says.

"But what's most important about this program is that it benefits the children in the community and helps the inmates feel better about themselves."

return to the top of the page

Times & Transcript

Article published: August 5, 2003

Reading project helps solve N.B. literacy problem

By Sarah Trainor

Turning a New Page program has grown in leaps and bounds, and has potential to spread provincewide

Many elementary school children across the province fake enthusiasm over silent reading in class and secretly dread those agonizing minutes, because they do not understand the words in front of them.

Westmorland Institution and its Turning a New Page Program provides solutions to the literacy problem in the area by having inmates create and distribute recordings of children's books to schools in District 2.

The program has grown in leaps and bounds, and has the potential to be spread province wide, according to Westmorland Institute teacher Rosemary Pineau.

She plans to hold a workshop Sept. 8 and invite the nine district superintendents in the province,as well as teachers, parents, politicians and private businesses to hold a forum and discuss benefits of the program. Even though the institution will need to find funding to expand and nothing is yet final, Pineau hopes awareness will make this idea a reality.

Reading with the audio-tape strengthens students' comprehension, and recording the books gives prisoners at the institution a chance to help the community and improve their own reading skills.

The institutes primary interest is to improve inmate's reading skills so they can become functionally literate. The program uses the strategy of repetition to raise fluency and comprehension in the readers.

The more you read the better you get, and because the institution promised schools they would supply a professional audiotape, inmates read a lot. It takes time, effort and a lot of preparation to produce audio for the books. Even excellent readers take a few hours to get it just right.

Some readers have jumped three grade levels through the process of reading and rereading.

“You don't always see quantitive results, because those tested with a high level won't change much,” said Pineau. “But there is a qualitative change. Our students fell better about themselves, which is something you can't measure with numbers.”

When inmates first became involved, the walked through the compound hiding their books under their coats.

“Some macho guys said they weren't the right type to read children's books,” said reading coach, Brian McLaughlin. “Others said they couldn't read. I told them the problem wasn't that they couldn't read, it was that they believed they couldn't read.”

Now members of the program display their books proudly because they are glad to be contributing to the community. They lose the chip on their shoulders because they are part of the program's success.

The program began July 2000 through a donation of books from Scholastic. Teachers get three packages that each includes one tape and three books. There are 320 books on shelves or 'lending library' at the institute's school.

Eighty teachers' members are signed up, and each month they serve about 2000 students in grades one through four, according to Turnaround Co-ordinator, Michael Johnstone.

“I had no reservations going into this, I could only see tremendous benefits,” said Johnstone. “It's a confidence booster to people who have trouble with pronunciation and it helps with my own public speaking.”

“Inmates who come out of the reading program can read 10 times better,” said McLaughlin, “A lot come in as an excuse to skip class, but soon they start enjoying the sessions and feel good about themselves.”

Soon after the program started, schoolteachers and staff at Westmorland Institute realized that it not only helped the inmates, but school students.

“We found that strategies that work for our students work for students in school. Our guys display the same tendencies as struggling readers in grade two. So if we catch the problem now, we can stop their struggles from worsening,” said Pineau.

“It helps kids in school recognize and understand words easier.”

Staff at the institution expects literacy scores to rise if the program is expanded. If the taping room expands to full time production, then literacy rates with inmates are also expected to improve.

“There are never enough resources in a class, so to be able to have access to classroom and take-home supplies are a phenomenal benefit,” said Pineau. “It would be great for us to expand because everyone here would have more opportunities to read.”

District 2 teacher Sarah Lowe also feels that the program is an excellent resource because of the hundreds of titles students can choose from.

“Any time you expose kids to books, reading improves. And as reading improves, writing improves," said Lowe. “It is important for kids to track words as they read, and it's good that they have the chance to stop and rewind the tape if they don't understand something.”

Lowe has taken part in the program for three years and says her students still get excited when she brings a new package of books in. She has even sent some of her own books to Westmorland Institution to be recorded.

“I don't understand why everyone doesn't do this,” said Lowe. “I hope this project continues to grow and that the book selection increases.”

McLaughlin sees the human side to helping with the program. He feels that when people hear their voices on tape, they realize that prisoners are not 'hard' individuals; they are people who care about helping the community.

“Now that fear of the unknown is gone, people involved with our program realize that our students are not dangerous,” said Pineau. “They see our guys as people rather than as monsters, which is important because they can potentially be our future neighbors.”

Johnstone also has personal reasons for his involvement in the program.

“I feel like I'm giving something back to the community for my past sins.”

return to the top of the page

The bell on the tape recorder rings - it's time to turn the page. Of course, it takes some getting used to: as the children read along with the story being read, the husky voice is not what you expect for a kids' story about playful pigs. But the students are paying attention, and developing the same literacy skills as their unlikely reader.

School children and the inmates at the Westmorland Minimum

Security Institution in Dorchester, New Brunswick have found a new approach to literacy - by teaching each other to read. The Turning a New Page Program is a restorative justice project where inmates make recordings of books for use by area elementary schools, with the inmates making a contribution to the community without receiving any monetary compensation.  Because of the project, teachers in the Moncton area have a wide selection of books on tape that can be used in their classrooms.

Carmen Peters, the Early Years Supervisor for the school district, says her teachers love the books on tape that the inmates have recorded. "The tapes are very well done and there is a wide variety of books. The more exposure the students get to the written word, the better," says Peters. Just as important is the impact on the inmates. "We were looking for a way to motivate the students in our literacy programs," says Rosemary Pineau, a teacher at the Westmorland Minimum Security Institution. She and Rick McAtee, an educator from Tucson, Arizona, initiated the program to encourage students at the institution to practice their reading until they got it right.

A fighting chance

Literacy is a huge problem in Canada's prison population. Sixty-five percent of first time offenders are functioning below the Grade Eight level when they are first incarcerated. They are four times more likely to have a reading disability and three times more likely to be illiterate than the general population. But studies have shown that inmates who take part in prison based educational programs are more likely to lead productive lives and less likely to re-offend when they get out.

The program began in July, 2001 with a donation of books from Scholastic Canada. Pineau told the inmates that they had to be able to read their book perfectly to at least three people before they could visit the recording booth. Some of the participants thought she meant these people all had to be staff members and staff were suddenly besieged by members of the literacy class wanting to read to them. It soon became a common sight for warden Michael Corbett to pop his head out of his office and call for his story.

"Inmates are people too," Pineau reminded them, suggesting that they read to the other inmates. However, the staff were very supportive of the program and enjoyed listening to the stories. Corbett says he has no idea how many times he sat in the parking lot listening to Gregory read Pigs Aplenty, Pigs Galore. Gregory couldn't read at all when he first came to the Institution, and he probably practiced the book about 80 times before he recorded it. "He loved that story," recalls Pineau. "He didn't want to record it, because then he would be finished with it and have to pass it in."

Corbett and Pineau are impressed at how the project motivates the students and quickly drives up their literacy levels. "Inmates respond very well to restorative justice projects that benefit children," Corbett says. Pineau urged: "Remember, it's for the kids, guys, It's for the kids," whenever they were getting discouraged about how many times they had to practice to read their stories perfectly.

It's also heartwarming to watch the participants confidence improve after they have recorded a few books. John, one of the inmate readers, recalls how nervous and awkward he felt when he recorded his first book, because he knew other people would be listening. He recorded his first book in January. By mid-February, he had recorded his fifth, A House is a House for Me. It's his favourite because he also recorded it for his 13-month-old son. "I want him to learn to read," says John.

John says that the program has helped him with his writing skills. "I couldn't write a proper paragraph when I began," he says. "It would just be one long sentence with no commas or periods."

However, he had to pay attention to them to read his books perfectly on tape, and now he is able to use commas, periods, and capital letters appropriately in his own writing.

Each tape is sent out to the schools with four books. Kindergarten teacher Jane Sherrard is a big supporter of the program. "There is a huge focus on literacy in today's kindergarten classroom," she says. "Having four copies of the book allows each child to follow along and turn the page when the bell rings." The wide variety of books available allows teachers to use them in their class planning. Teachers can order books to go with a theme or author they may be studying or even order books from the High Frequency Readers series that they use to introduce reading to the children.

The books on tape can be used to encourage the struggling reader. Catherine Pickard, a Grade 3 teacher at Evergreen Park School in Moncton, has been involved with the program almost since its beginning. She often gives the books on tape to struggling readers during the school's sustained silent read period so they can practice reading the book while hearing it on tape. There is a big demand for the taped books in her classroom. Pickard allows all children to use them, but makes sure that there is time set aside for her struggling readers to access them. "It's great that the students can take the books home for extra practice. The Westmorland Institution even encourages this," she says.

There is a great deal of co-operation between the schools and Westmorland. Pineau, McAtee, and some of the inmate readers have held literacy workshops for the teachers to demonstrate techniques that can help struggling readers. The workshops also allow them to get feedback from the participating teachers. At a recent workshop, teachers were pleased to hear that there would soon be more

Canadian books on tape because Scholastic Canada had donated a number of books to the program. Now

that a large number of books on tape have been recorded, the institution is considering offering the teachers

more titles for longer periods of time, so the books would spend more time in the classroom and less time in

transit. Pickard says she would find thishelpful because it can be hard for her to accommodate the demand for

the books in her class.

Pineau finds that she can leave a lot of the administration of the program in the hands of these inmate tutors. They help the members of the literacy class choose books appropriate to their reading level. On turnaround days, they check in the books and send them back out to new teachers, trying to honour as many of their requests as possible. Michael, one of the tutors, has also taken over the publication of the program's newsletter. He's also a big Harry Potter fan and has recorded some of those popular books for the school children.

Other institutions are now interested in implementing similar programs. The Prince Edward Island Literary Council and the Justice Department would like to join the program if the details can be worked out. In Nova Scotia, the Nova Institution is also considering implementing it for female inmates. At Westmorland, meanwhile, the program has become part of the routine and they are on the verge of recording their 300th book.

Corbett says he feels that restorative justice projects such as Turning a New Page contribute to the atmosphere of hope that they strive to foster in the Westmorland Institution. "When inmates start being givers and stop being takers, it promotes a change in attitude that makes them more open to what they need to do," he says.

The bell has rung. It's time to turn a new page.

return to the top of the page