Low literacy impacts approximately 70% of incarcerated adults in the U.S. In California, a large portion of individuals in the custody of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation scored below a sixth grade reading level on their adult basic education test.
San Quentin Peer Literacy Mentors is a program that provides peer-to-peer literacy and comprehension assistance for persons seeking a basic or higher education. Recently, the mentors hosted Bay Area librarians and educators to discuss services provided for those who struggle with low literacy in prison; they also came up with ideas about how to improve education and library services inside and outside of prison.
“This program helped me to learn in reading and mathematics. It is magnificent that people help others my age to read and write,” resident Trino Suarez said. “I like to communicate now [that] I feel more comfortable; before I could not talk to you.”
Discussions centered on how low literacy affects access to rehabilitation programs, understanding medical information, identifying and addressing educational trauma, teaching strategies, and how library services assist in furthering literacy.
Mentors Angel Alvarez and Cesar Nava acted out a scenario of a nurse and a non-English-speaking resident. The situation was based on the real experience of an individual who was informed he would need a MRI and a stint for heart surgery and new diabetes medication. The low literacy individual nodded his head and repeated certain words to imply he understood. Unfortunately, this is all too common. Whether it is the stigma, intimidation, or embarrassment, the lack of understanding causes medical trauma.
“To support somebody in need we cannot stigmatize them but treat them in a holistic way so you can humanize them,” Nava said.
CDCR’s Dr. Tootell, supervisor of the Peer Support Specialist Program, said some persons are scared to ask for help and other barriers might hold them back from seeking treatment. “Connection is not there so people get lost in the shuffle. Interpersonal connection is key.”
Tootell said the challenges individuals face in prison are not different from those outside and people have to learn how to advocate for themselves. She said that PSSP pairs low-literacy individuals with peer mentors to make up for their needs.
In each classroom, attendees were handed a piece of paper written in a foreign language and asked to fill it out. Several were confused; some said they felt helpless and useless. Others said they were anxious and wanted to walk out.
The mentors highlighted how developing a relationship, modeling or relating on a personal level, and shared vulnerability establish credibility, so they can assist those who have literacy or language barriers.
In the class dealing with identifying and addressing educational trauma and impacts of low- literacy classroom, several mentors shared their experiences with educational trauma. They mentioned dyslexia, being a foreign student, and negative home environment. All those issues contributed to distrust in adults.
“In first grade I got excited to learn and then a teacher chastised me in front of class. The next year a teacher yelled at me again and announced my grades out loud,” Cody Rhodes said. “It was not until a teacher showed she believed in me did I have confidence to continue school.”
When attendees were asked about their experience with trauma and literacy, some said it was cause and effect, a snowball effect. Low confidence, low self-esteem, and inequity were some of the many factors mentioned that contribute to feelings of shame.
Mentor Jimmy Daly said he was a hyperactive kid in a Catholic school. “I shied away from school and fell further and further behind. I did not even know how a sentence or paragraph was structured,” he said.
According to Wikipedia, California ranks high in having prison education policies for providing adult basic education, GED, vocational, and college programs. The risk of recidivating is lower among those who improve their literacy while incarcerated, and improved literacy can improve poverty and unemployment levels. Nationally, the incarcerated who complete education programs are more than 40% less likely to reoffend.
Other ideas on how to improve education included patience, different educational techniques (visual, verbal, kinesthetic), providing a vulnerable and safe space that encourages perseverance, asking for permission from students, using motivational interviewing, humility, teamwork, and respecting boundaries.
“Residents’ stories have been powerful, honest, and vulnerable. I have a greater understanding about the barriers that residents face,” guest librarian Raemona Little-Taylor said. “There is power in the peer support networks that breaks barriers and increases access to assistance. Building a relationship with trust is really transformative.”