Razorwire & bedtime stories

HENDERSON—“‘Jungle Book’ rocks!”

Such was the declaration of a Texas prison inmate to Jo Freeman, a volunteer with the Storybook Project, as she prepared to guide the man through the nuances of prose reading for children. She wanted to make sure he knew how to pronounce the peculiar names in the fabled Rudyard Kipling children’s tale before she recorded his reading of the adventure story for his children.

No need, the heavily tattooed man replied.

“I know every one of them. That was my favorite book as a kid!”

To bring home the point, he punched the air with his fist and declared his praise for the unforgotten tale. As he did, Freeman recalled, “In his eyes, for that brief moment, I saw that kid who loved ‘Jungle Book.’”

Part literacy program, part family intervention, all gospel outreach, the Storybook Project at the Bradshaw Unit in Henderson brings together, if only through a recorded message, incarcerated fathers with their children outside the prison walls.

In a letter of thanks, one inmate wrote, “I’m forever greatful [sic]. You all have given me the oh so priceless gift of reading to my children and bridging the gap between these dismal walls and my children’s warm living room.”

For five years the Storybook Project has brought Bradshaw Unit inmates a little closer to their children. It takes three to four weeks to complete the recordings as Freeman and fellow volunteer Judy Turner guide inmates in selecting age-appropriate books and coach them to read with expression and flare.

Once the men are prepared, their reading is recorded. Freeman downloads the recording to her computer, burns a CD and ships the CD and book to the inmate’s children.

For the retired English teacher and member of First Baptist Church Henderson, the project is a blessing.

“It’s so awesome that God allowed me to continue in what was dear to my heart,” said Freeman, who also coached high school students competing in poetry and prose reading contests.

Turner, the director of Restorative Justice Ministries at Green Acres Baptist Church, founded the project at the Bradshaw Unit after learning of the program from the Texas Inmate Family Association. The two women make weekly visits to the prison where they meet with inmates who have requested to be a part of the program.

Although the Storybook Project is administered through the education department of the prison, the ultimate goal of the ministry is to reconcile the inmates and their families to God. Studies suggest that as many as 70 percent of inmates’ children will continue the cycle of crime and follow in their fathers’ footsteps to the penitentiary. Breaking that cycle is the goal of restorative justice and the Storybook Project is just one means to that end.

Three cabinets of children’s books have been donated to the project. Freeman and Turner supplement the secular books with Christian-themed stories. When prisoners choose to read a Christian story, Freeman said the impact of the gospel is multiplied as it is read by the father and heard by his children and anyone else who may listen to the recording.

The inmate’s thank you letter continued, “Bringing me closer to my children is only one of the gifts you’ve given me. More importantly together we have brought God’s message into their home. For that alone I’m forever greatful [sic].”

Ever the English teacher and prose coach, Freeman encourages the men and, indirectly, their children to be readers. Making reading and listening engaging and fun is her objective but getting hardened inmates—men who must maintain a steeled exterior—to read Dr. Seuss with pizzazz is daunting.

“It’s all about the children,” she tells them. That admonition, she said, tends to liven up the reading sessions.

But, at times, the readings are interrupted, choked off by the inmates’ sobs.

“The ones who break up and cry are the ones who are going to be gone for a long time,” Turner said. “I’ve seen big, big guys, covered in tattoos—as they read these children’s books—start weeping. They know this may be the only time they connect with their kids.”

The Bradshaw Unit is a transfer facility. Some inmates will be out of prison within two years while others are routinely transferred to other facilities, sometimes far away from family. 

One inmate wrote in a letter of thanks: “We want to let you know that everyone of y’all that do this ‘Story Book Program’ that blessed us, really melted our hearts. I’ve seen some of the biggest men break down and cry over this blessing that we have received. Each of you deserve a big thanks. Y’all have done something so special for us in a place where no one matters and nobody cares.”

That inmate’s daughter wrote to her dad.

“We got our books and you reading them. Now when I miss you really bad I can turn on the CD and let you read to me.”

Strict prison guidelines dictate how the women and inmates are to interact and what can be recorded. But Freeman and Turner said the men can add special messages to the recording. Freeman recalled one man introduced the story by saying how it had blessed him and hoped it would bless his son. One father rapped a Christ-centered poem while another sang from a hymnal.

They are encouraged to share special childhood memories.

“We try to go back and touch that innocence,” Freeman said.

Fathers wanting to read to their children will have to wait 3-6 months as the popularity of the Storybook Project grows. But it is worth the wait as one inmate wrote: “Thank you again for volunteering your time to this work. You are a blessing to me, my family and every other offender and their children who is fortunate enough to be able to participate in this program.”