If you ever happen to be in a Brazilian prison and want to get out before your prison sentence is up, don’t dig a tunnel with a spoon you swiped from the cafeteria; open a book instead. Brazil’s “Redemption through Reading” program aims to address low literacy rates and overcrowded prisons by allowing prisoners to read books to earn time off their original sentence. According to Paul Koring of The Globe and Mail, the program will “slice four days off a convict’s time (with a maximum of 48 days a year) for every book read.” Convicts will also submit a book report on each book he or she has read. Sao Paulo lawyer Andre Kehdi, who also heads a book donation project for prisons, told Reuters, “A person can leave prison more enlightened and with an enlarged participation of the world.”
There are parts of this plan that I like. As someone who enjoys reading, I see no problem in promoting reading among illiterate people. Books allow people to escape into faraway places and observe important issues. Mariano Castillo of CNN reports that according to the ministry of justice, “Nearly half of Brazilian inmates — 46 percent — have not completed more than nine years of basic education. More than 26,000 prisoners (five percent) are illiterate.” Reading, along with education programs in prisons, will help prisoners find work after being released.
However, I do have some questions and concerns about the program. According to The Globe and Mail, “Only certain inmates will be eligible for the program, but Brazil plans to try it out with some of the nation’s toughest criminals at four high-security prisons.” I do not think those in prison for crimes like rape and murder should be able to shave time off their prison sentences. If I or a friend or family member was raped or killed and the person responsible for the crime got out early because he liked to read Hemingway, I would be furious. Those convicted of smaller, nonviolent crimes, especially first-time offenders, should have the opportunity to participate in this program, not the guy who axe-murdered a family.
Another part I found iffy was the list of books the convicts may read in order to earn time off their sentence. According to CNN, “The book available to inmates will include literary classics and scientific and philosophical tomes, among others.” As CNN mentioned earlier, almost half of the inmates in Brazil have less than nine years of basic education. How do prisons expect inmates to get through “War and Peace” or “Pride and Prejudice” if nearly half lack even a high school education? Even in high school and college classes, teachers discuss the books with the students in order to help them understand the text. None of the information I have come across discussed the possibility of help from a teacher figure.
I cannot help but also make the comparison to summer reading in high school. In both cases, you are stuck with a list of thick books you have no interest in reading. I admit I liked a couple of books I had to read in high school, but I had to drag my eyes across each page for the other books. Failure to complete the reading or the homework that came with it would result in something bad. While students have to deal with a bad grade, prisoners lose an opportunity at early freedom. Four days might not sound like much, but if I were in prison, I would do anything to regain my freedom as soon as possible, even if it meant having to read “The Sun Also Rises” again.
Although books can be powerful, Brazil is overestimating the effects of reading. According to YaleGlobal, “Research shows that literacy reduces recidivism among prisoners.” Recidivism is the likelihood one has to continue or fall back into certain behavior. In this case, it refers to criminals continuing illegal behavior. While a book can change a person’s view on a subject, I doubt most prisoners will stop a life of crime just because they read “The Great Gatsby.” They could enjoy the book, but as far as I know, there are no books that exist that stop a person from committing crime after reading it. If such a book existed, the world would probably know about it by now and there would be a lot less crime.
Brazil has something good going with this reading program in terms of increasing literacy. Ultimately, while reading is a skill everyone should have, I do not see the program lowering recidivism among prisoners. A prisoner may be more likely to visit a book store, but in most cases, I do not see a good book decreasing recidivism.
Jake Koniszewski can be reached at john.koniszewski@spartans.ut.edu.