DALLAS MORNING NEWS:
article by Joy Dickinson dated May 3, 1998

James Green is a Vietnam vet who has survived post-traumatic stress

syndrome, numbing depression brought on by divorce and homelessness

and, most recently, a stint in the Texas prison system for burglary. But

Mr. Green, 48, says one of the hardest things he has ever done was simply

raising his hand in a literacy class. “I had to admit it, to stand up and say,

‘No, I can’t read,’ “ he said. “Man, that was tough. After all those years of

ad-libbing, more or less faking it all the time. It wasn’t easy, no. Not at all.”

Prison officials say HOPE is the first program of its kind in Texas. As far as

they can determine, it’s also the first in the nation. It has started small, with

a dozen tutors and about 55 students in the first year, but officials say HOPE

has the potential to be used throughout the country in helping inmates improve

their education, and by extension, their lives.