Spring Break
OGDEN, Utah, April 9, 2007 - The WSU Honors Program has organized a two-week-long book drive with the goal of collecting 1,000 books for Weber County Jail and the Ogden Rescue Mission.
“Reading is most definitely an enriching part of anyone’s life,” said Carlie Sitzman, chair of the Honors Service Committee at WSU. “I think that with this book drive, we can provide people with the opportunity to enjoy books when they might not otherwise have access to them.”
With about 300 books already donated, their goal is within reach. Organizers say that more books are needed, and they have placed collection boxes around campus as well as at the Deseret Book Store at 4151 S. Riverdale Rd., Riverdale, and Smith’s at 1485 Harrison Blvd., Ogden.
The Inmate Service Program at Weber County Jail said inmates are interested in reading mostly English books for men, but those for women and Spanish books are also welcome. The jail is seeking novels such as fantasy, mystery, suspense, sci-fi, and western fiction.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, over 85 percent of Utah’s inmates in 2005 were men. Utah’s justice system stands out because nearly 60 percent of inmates were held in local jails compared with only 37 percent of inmates nationwide. Organizers say local help is therefore crucial to inmate rehabilitation.
The need for community involvement is great, the Utah Department of Corrections asserts on its website, and the State must focus on rehabilitating inmates for re-entry into the community. The department says that over 95 percent of inmates will eventually re-enter the community.
“We must habilitate, teach the behavior, that is the societal norm, before we can rehabilitate,” said Charles Stuart, founder and president of the National Incarcerated Parents and Families Network. “What we fail sometimes to realize is that the offender has never learned [normal] behavior from the start.”
Stuart said books are an important tool in the effort to reform inmates. “I strongly believe that knowledge is the key to habilitating offenders.” Regarding the book drive, he told the organizers, “I commend you and Weber State for your efforts in supplying this knowledge and tool. Through books, you are making a difference.”
The Ogden Rescue Mission is accepting any type of book with the exception of encyclopedias and magazines. As stated on its website, the mission aims to give “peace, hope, and love” to the needy through rehabilitation services, 100,000 meals per year, chapel services, and free health care at the Seager Memorial Clinic. The organization also provides needy families with food, clothing, and other items.
Counseling services provide the additional service of helping people learn “to serve God and others instead of just themselves.”
Sitzman hopes the book drive will have a similar effect. “When a person is having trials in her life, it is my hope that being able to pick up a book and read will not only brighten her day but also inspire her to become a positive force in the world.”
The book drive will end on Friday, April 13. Anyone who would like to donate books may call the WSU Honors Service Committee at 801-430-0635 for more information.
Leaving our tracks on the world through the written word.
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