TOPEKA, Kansas – A literacy program at Kansas’ only women’s prison is helping incarcerated mothers and grandmothers connect with their young family members.

Program operated by Fort Hays State University faculty and students helps some of the women at the Topeka Correctional Center develop their reading skills. It also gives them the confidence to read aloud to their children and grandchildren when they visit – or provide recordings for loved ones to take home.

Dani Essman, coordinator for Women’s Activity and Learning Center at the jail, said the effort gives inmates a chance to bond with their children despite having few opportunities to see them while in custody. This is also important for children, she said.

“When they go to prison, they’re still parents,” Essman said. “Their children still need them.”

Studies show literacy levels are often low among incarcerated adults. Dr. Sarah Broman Miller, a teacher education professor at Fort Hays State University, said the average inmate in the United States has a fourth-grade reading level.

The nearly 5-year-old program — launched by Broman Miller and Dr. April Terry, professor of criminal justice — aims to reverse that trend by sparking interest in literature and giving incarcerated women books they enjoy.

Broman Miller said women in the Topeka jail also seem to be more motivated to read once they feel comfortable reading aloud to their children. This is important because reading to children can also boost a child’s reading skills, helping to break a cycle of illiteracy, she said.

It also strengthens the bonds between incarcerated women and their children.

“One woman said her daughter listened to that tape every night,” Broman Miller said, “and that was just her way of hiding from her mother.”

Terry said research shows that inmates who stay connected to family or people in their community have fewer disciplinary records while in prison. They also find it easier to reintegrate into society and are less likely to return to prison.

Essman said the program boosts mental health among incarcerated women. She said many inmates didn’t have good role models in their youth, but the program helps them learn how to be better parents and foster better relationships with their children.

Essman said reading also provides a temporary escape.

“When you read a book, you can be in a whole other world,” Essman said. “You are not in prison when you read a book.”

Dylan Lysen reports on social services and criminal justice for the Kansas News Service. You can email him at dlysen (at) kcur (dot) org.

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