Reading is fundamental … for criminals

A local Ohio public radio reporter recently made me aware of a rural county’s interesting alternative sentencing program — one that sounds a bit like an initiative that might be suggested by the conductor of Conjunction Junction if he became a judge.  The program is discussed in an audio segment available here — which is entitled, “Sentenced to Read: Book Club is Court’s Unique Approach.”

In a nutshell, some judges in Wayne County, Ohio have sentenced certain persons convicted of non-violent offenses to participate in a weekly book club as part of a court-ordered program of community service.   According to the report on the program, the recidivism rate for persons participating in the book club is virtually zero.

Sing it with me Schoolhouse Rock fans:

Conjunction Junction, what’s your function?
Hooking up offenders with texts and reading.
Conjunction Junction, how’s that function?
I got three favorite books
That get most of my job done.