Response to “Breaking barriers with books: A fathers' book sharing program from prison"

     In “Breaking barriers with books: A fathers’ book sharing program from prison,” Margaret Genesio describes a program for incarcerated men that comprises three parts: instructional, parent/child meeting (family visit), and a parent support meeting led by the fathers that participate in the program.  The instructional component of the program consists of 10 hours of onsite learning in workshops that stress the father’s importance to his child with regard to educational attainment and literacy practices. The parent/child meetings allowed fathers and children to build memories with each other while practicing literacies and the support meeting was a place where fathers could share their experiences and brainstorm solutions to shared problems.

     I found this program especially heartening because of the high level of absentee fathers in current times. The correlation between single parent households and negative consequences for the children in those household is indisputable.  If this program had no other positive result than maintaining a connection between fathers and children, I would still consider it a success. However, judging by the high levels of participation, the long hours fathers spent writing in journals, creating extension activities, and experimenting new ways to enact the program practices, it seems to be effective on a number of other levels as well.  One could hope that programs such as this, if instituted widely, could reduce recidivism rates because fathers would have a greater likelihood of rejoining the family unit upon release.