The vision of
Texas HOPE Literacy is
to be the model literacy
and life skills program
for all prisons.
Since 1997, Texas HOPE
Literacy designed and
directed by
Lucy Smith
(see
Letter from the
Founder)
has made significant
contributions to the
Hutchins State Jail
by providing peer
education training to
male inmates for the
purpose of remediating
functional illiteracy.
As
a result of investing
countless hours in
program design and
development, the
Hutchins State Jail has
been selected to be the
first HOPE Literacy
training center in Texas
Department of Criminal
Justice.
The program focuses on
team building for both
peer educators and
students. The HOPE
classes are
individualized, and are
structured around
multisensory
systematic structured
modules to achieve
improved outcomes. This
methodology has been
proven through research
to be most effective for
students with learning
disabilities such as
dyslexia and ADD/ADHD.
HOPE is exceptionally
qualified to provide
effective literacy
programs with positive
measurable results in a
variety of settings from
intervention to
productive re-entry into
society. Statistics show
that educational
improvement has long
lasting effects.
HOPE’s unique faith
component teaches
responsibility and
accountability through
the structure of city
concept where they learn
how to live in community
with different cultures,
belief systems, values,
and morals. The faith
component promotes peer
mentoring and
self-government. The
inmates learn to think,
practice and model
appropriate behaviors
while in prison without
expecting personal
rewards other than
personal satisfaction
and their students’
successes. This gives
them HOPE for a new and
different way of life,
better jobs, and ability
to support themselves
and their families
financially and
emotionally. It enhances
awareness and elevates
self-esteem. HOPE peer
educators and students
are also better prepared
to help their children
with their schoolwork.
he faith aspect exposes
all inmates in the
program to principles
and
values that will help
them understand that
crime violates people
and damages
relationships. It gives
them the incentive to
make things right.
Inmates who are
successful on the
outside will help reduce
recidivism rates, and
make our communities
safer, and will greatly
impact their own
children who are risk to
go to prison.
Community volunteers
contribute ongoing
administrative support
to program operation at
an average contribution
of 30-35 volunteer hours
per week. HOPE has
trained many inmates on
four sites to coach
their peers who are
functionally illiterate,
while building in skills
necessary for the
workplace. The program
focuses on team building
and character
development. Its
participants are
expected to attain a
high degree of
excellence in their
personal lives and
relationships with each
other and their
families. They learn to
be responsible to
complete assigned tasks
and meet deadlines. They
learn that living in
community is better than
living in isolation.
They are busy,
positively productive,
and happy. As a
result of the program's
success, HB 28 was
passed in 2003 allowing
peer educators to tutor
in the Texas Department
of Criminal Justice
prison system.
The offenders learn to
practice and model
appropriate behaviors
while in prison without
expecting personal
rewards other than the
satisfaction of knowing
that their peers are
successful. HOPE uses
multisensory systematic
structured methodology
that has been proven
through research to be
most effective for
students who demonstrate
learning differences
such as dyslexia and
ADD/ADHD.
