Founded in 1997, Texas HOPE Literacy has helped thousands of prisoners improve their academic levels and get their GED. Many have seen their reading and math earned achievement scores increase 3-6 grade levels; some of these have obvious learning disabilities or are functionally illiterate. In over 14 years, HOPE has expanded from a single classroom at the Gatesville Units and Hutchins State Jail to the development of a unique HOPE Community Model, currently serving women at the Dawson State Jail. We were able to demonstrate program effectiveness of using offender peer educators which became a contributing factor that inspired House Bill 28. The ratification of House Bill 28 in 2003 allows state jail offenders who are capable of serving as literacy tutors to tutor functionally illiterate offenders. and resulted in HOPE expanding to other prisons in Texas. 

Literacy has a variety of interpretations today. The primary definition is "the ability to read and write." In America today, many people are "functionally illiterate".  Within the prisons, there are numerous individuals who have dropped out of school between 7th-9th grade.  The reasons they gave were they couldn't keep up or school was too hard. Usually, they function at a 6th grade level or below. Some have undiagnosed learning  disabilities.  Another complicating factor is that prisons are built on reading failure of 4th graders. This should be a "wake-up" for all of us. Many children need outside help, but never get it. 

Functional illiteracy has its roots in poor academic performance that results in lower wages, inability to pay bills, low parental functioning, drug and/or alcohol use, depression, and hopelessness. Not only are these adults deficient academically, but they lack essential life skills, and their children are destined to follow in their parents' footsteps. Incarceration is inevitable without appropriate intervention. Low-functioning moms and dads may avoid prison, but their children are at-risk to go there. The children of incarcerated parents have so much more to deal with than children whose parents are not in prison. Separation from parents is a painful experience. Regardless of the situation, the children still love and miss their parents.

•   Financial instability and material hardship

•   Unstable family relationships and structure

•   Unstable living environments

•   School behavior and performance problems

•   Shame, social and institutional stigma 

•   Unwantedness

There is an estimated 10 million children in the U. S. that has a parent in prison. Between 1995 and 2005, the number of incarcerated women in the U.S. increased by 57% compared to 34 percent for men (Harrison & Beck, 2006). 75 percent of incarcerated women are mothers. Their children are often separated and raised by aged family members, friends, CPS, foster care, etc. Their sobs are heard throughout the earth...broken-hearted weeping...moms and children, quite like the devastation of Matthew 2:18, "A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted; Because they are no more.

Intervention as opposed to incarceration would in many cases maintain family unity. However, if incarceration is necessary there is evidence that maintaining contact with one’s incarcerated parent improves a child’s emotional response to the incarceration and supports parent-child attachment and lowers recidivism.

According to the United States Bureau of Justice Statistics, more than 3 percent of Americans live either behind bars, under parole supervision or on probation. This means that more than  7.2 million adults in 2009 lived under the shadow of a court sentence. An additional 86,927 juveniles were living in juvenile correctional facilities.

So, where does it end? It ends when we look beyond ourselves.

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