Think back to how you spent the summer as a 9-year-old. Do ice cream trucks, sporting events and trips to the beach come to mind?
Well Tyler Fugett, a 9-year-old from Clarksville, Tennessee has been doing something much different during his summer vacation. Instead of taking a break from the books, Tyler has decided to collect them as a part of his new charity, "Time to Read." Rather than spending his allowance on ice cream, Tyler uses it buy books for those serving time at Montgomery County Jail. He has donated over 100 books so far.
Traditionally, the word “charity” has strong association with the type of people who are benefited. Many successful charitable associations aim to aid people who have found themselves in unfortunate circumstances, those of which they had no control. We see countless pink ribbons for breast cancer, colorful ads for Feed My Starving Children, sign-up sheets for memorial races and much more. While charities like these make significant and life changing differences around the world, there are many other groups of people still in need of assistance, funds or simply, support.
Some of these people are in negative situations due to their own choices and as a result, they receive the least amount of attention when it comes to charity. Tyler has identified one of these groups – the local jail where his stepfather has been in and out of – and is making a big impact.
“Tyler’s generosity is truly appreciated,” said the Montgomery County Jail Chaplain, “No tax payer money is used to purchase books, we rely 100 percent on donations from the community to stock our library.”
When asked why he decided to start his charity Tyler explained, “I don’t want people to think bad things while they are in jail. I want people to get out and not do bad things again.”
Although only 9, Tyler identifies a larger problem within the U.S. prison system. How are we treating those serving time for crimes?
Are we simply punishing? As it turns out, many state prisons are. Due to the amount of money it takes to house prisoners, there is not a lot of funds leftover to help keep them from returning to prison. In fact, in their 2014 Statistics Report the Bureau of Justice revealed that 68 percent of state prisoners are arrested and returned to prison less than three years after being released, while 77 percent were back in jail within five years.
With the remarkably high incarnation rate (though decreased by 1 percnet in 2014) combined with prisoners consistently being re-arrested, it is no surprise that capacity is a major issue. In 2014, it was reported that 17 states had prisons filled beyond capacity. If prisons are exceeding maximum capacity, then we can assume that conditions are much less comfortable for prisoners. Some people may think that’s fine because they’re prisoners and they deserve it, but what happens when we take a look at the bigger picture?
If there are more prisoners then the facility was built for, then there is physically less space. According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, overcrowding creates a “pressure cooker situation,” increasing tensions for inmates and guards. In addition, the closer quarters make the spreading of diseases much more likely. And just like that, you have too many prisoners who are physically inclined to be violent and sick rather than undergoing reform.
Over capacity also means less resources for the prisoners. Less time available to use a computer to email friends and family – a proven factor for reform success rates – or to contact potential employers about future job opportunities – a significant factor to avoiding re-arrest after release. More people means less use per prisoner of the already limited educational materials – such as books which have been found to be an essential element of the rehabilitation process.
By fostering prisoners instead of merely punishing them, we can make a real difference. Some states have recognized this and made improvements accordingly. In California, the San Quentin Prison – one of the largest in the U.S. – has found widespread success from their Prison University Project. The National Criminal Justice Reference Service agrees upon results of their study which found in-prison college education programs to be effective in diminishing re-arrest rates.
But there's a catch. (Isn't there always?) In order to implement these progressive programs, states will need more funding and it'll be hard to obtain. Here's where charity comes in to play a role and Tyler Fugett has a head start. Though a few books won't change the system in a day, they could change a prisoner's life. To me, even one life is a win.
He may only be 9 years old, but the core of Tyler's idea has the possibility to make big waves within the U.S. prison system and other government programs. If more of us could see the world the way Tyler does, then I believe we’d be living in a much better world.
