CCA's Kit Carson Correctional Center Sponsors Father READ Program
BURLINGTON, Colo. – The enterprising Father READ program at Corrections Corporation of America’s (CCA) Kit Carson Correctional Center now marks its first full year of helping incarcerated fathers connect with their children, while enhancing literacy and instilling a love for books.
“It helps place the role and voice of the father back into the home,” says Jason Erhart, unit manager at Kit Carson. “The program also helps these offenders rediscover the joys of learning and reading – while doing the same for their children, who are often reaching educational milestones of their own.”
Inmates who participate in the program read books to their children through a DVD recording, which is then mailed to their children, along with a copy of the same book so they can follow along. Father READ is one of many inmate programming opportunities offered at the facility; these programs are designed to address the emotional, vocational and academic needs of offenders and prepare them for eventual reintegration into society.
“The Father READ program is one of the best things offered here,” says John Beers, an inmate at the facility. “I have done it twice, and both times my family was extremely moved by it. This is the only way to bring myself to them so that we can have some time together.”
Beers is just one of more than 100 inmates who have participated in the program. To participate, inmates pay $5, which includes the DVD for their children, a feedback survey and shipping costs. Inmates choose books that are donated courtesy of the Prairie Family Center, a local thrift store that helps to meet community needs. Participants also select backdrops hand painted by fellow offenders for the tapings.
“It gives our offenders time to do something different and positive that enhances their family profile,” says Steve Neal, assistant warden of Operations. “When you talk to the inmates about it, you can tell that they really get something from it. I think that something is a sense of giving back.”
Participants and their families often become emotionally invested in the program and benefit from the indirect emphasis on literacy. “It has given me a chance to connect and communicate with my kids,” says inmate Alprintis Smith. “It has also given my kids a greater interest in reading books by reading along with their father.”
Despite the geographical distance between incarcerated fathers and their children, Father READ continues to strengthen family ties threatened by physical absence. “My kids say it always brings them to tears because they are happy to be able to see me and hear my voice,” says Beers. “As a father, this means more than anyone could ever know.”
About CCA
CCA is the founder and industry leader of the private corrections management industry, representing the nation’s fourth-largest corrections system, behind the federal government and two states. CCA currently operates more than 60 facilities, including 44 that are company-owned, with a total design capacity exceeding 85,000 beds in 19 states and the District of Columbia, with more than 17,000 employees who provide comprehensive educational, vocational, therapeutic and addictions treatment programs intended to prepare inmates for successful re-integration with society.
About Kit Carson Correctional Center
Kit Carson Correctional Center is a 1488-bed, medium-security facility, owned and operated by CCA since 1998. The facility, which houses adult male inmates for the Colorado Department of Corrections, is nationally accredited by the American Correctional Association and offers a wide range of programming and services to address the rehabilitative needs of inmates at the facility.