Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Abstract
Prisons serve as a place where criminal behaviors are suppressed. The need for these set of individuals to gather skills which help them remain positive right in the four walls of the prison yard and after serving their jail terms cannot be overemphasized. It is for this reason that the team set out to develop a programme aimed at inculcating literacy and creative writing skills that will help them participate more effectively when they finish their jail term. The aim of the study was to explore the importance and contributions of library resources and services to the lives of prison inmates and an attempt by the team to take this to a higher level. The study also reports an ongoing project in Nsukka Prisons, Enugu State, Nigeria. The design used to elicit information about the effect of the programme was survey. The population of the study was 365 with a sample size of two groups of 15 inmates each totaling 30. The research methods used was observation and focus group discussion. The results showed an improved level of literacy, creative and comic writing skills of the participants. It was therefore recommended that literacy activities should be encouraged among inmates to equip them with skills which will enable them become independent learners and better individuals in the society.