Resources
Resources consulted in creating the commons program
Recommended Resources*:
*Chesseman, Margaret. “Library Services to Young People and Children in Correctional Facilities.” Library Trends. 26.1 (summer 1977): 125-139. This article, although slightly dated, provides information about how to establish a healthy library in the juvenile detention center. The emphasis of the article is on the duties of the librarian, with success stories scattered throughout. Suggestions on creating and maintaining healthy relationships with inmates, staff, and administration are provided, along with statistics on the populations found in detention centers at the time.
*Clark, Larra, and Janet Thompson. Library Service to Incarcerated Youth. 2004. University of Illinois. 17 Apr. 2009 <http://ccb.lis.illinois.edu/Projects/youth/jsthomps/index.htm> This site was created by past University of Illinois students, and provides information about library services to incarcerated youth. There are descriptions of collection development, beginning a library for this population, as well as information about different types of library services that can be offered to this group.
*English, Kim, and Mary J. Mande. “Community Corrections in Colorado: Why Do Some Clients Succeed and Others Fail?.” National Institute of Corrections- Corrections Library. 1991. National Institute of Corrections. 20 Apr. 2009 <http://www.nicic.org/pubs/1991/013139.pdf>. This PDF contains information about a study done in Colorado on halfway houses, and inmate success and failure rates as they relate to certain common themes, including employment, criminal history, and drug abuse.
*Improving Literacy Skills of Juvenile Detainees. Jane Hodges, Nancy Giuliotti, & F.M. Porpotage 1994. OJJDP Juvenile Justice Bulletin. 10 Apr 2009 <http://www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles/lit.pdf> This resource has information about illiteracy, educational issues, and how these affect juvenile inmates.
*Library Standards for Juvenile Correctional Facilities. Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies. American Library Association. 1999. This resource shows how re-vamping a detention center library can have benefits for the inmates, volunteers, and the community at large. A great example of the power of a dedicated person who found volunteers to help make the necessary changes in the detention center library’s services to inmates, including classes and other opportunities the inmates previously had not had. It also mentions the effectiveness of the program on changing the interactions between inmates to much more positive ones.
Additional Resources:
American Library Association, Association of Specialized and Cooperative Libraries. Library Standards for Juvenile Correctional Facilities. Chicago: ALA, 1999.
Child Trends DataBank. 2009. Child Trends. 18 Apr. 2009 <http://www.childtrendsdatabank.org/index.cfm>. This database provides statistical information about the youth in detention centers, as well as providing a checklist of indicators of the success of a program such as ours.
Haven, Kendall. Story Proof: the Science Behind the Startling Power of Story. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, 2007. This book provides information about stories and storytelling, how our minds process and create stories, and how stories function in society.
“Young Adults in Jail or Prison.” Child Trends DataBank. 2007. Child Trends. 20 Apr. 2009 <http://www.childtrendsdatabank.org/pdf/89_PDF.pdf>. This PDF from the Child Trends database; it has information about the ethnic make-up of incarcerated youth.