Melanie Hamon
Project/Program Information – Not to exceed two (2) pages
Project Name: StoryChain: Re-Entering the Prison System Program
Project goal(s): StoryChain is re-entering the prison system for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of this project is to connect families through literature and improve children’s literacy skills in the greater Dayton area, accomplished by working with incarcerated parents to create and deliver custom audiobooks to their loved ones. The effectiveness will be measured through a series of surveys distributed to family members and clients throughout the audiobook process.
Project Description: As of January 1, 2020, Ohio’s prison population totaled 48,697 people (Legislative Service Commission Ohio). This includes people in the Dayton Correctional Institute, the Lebanon Correctional Institute in Warren County, and the Warren County Correctional Institute, among others. And, according to the Bureau of Justice, nearly half of people in federal and state prisons have children under the age of 18 who are anxiously awaiting their next chance to see or hear from their parent, even though they may not know when that will be. Starting in early 2023, we will meet with 20-30 inmates, scheduling eight 90-minute sessions per month with each incarcerated client. The first two sessions meet in groups of 3-4, where every inmate can fill out an entry survey and start choosing their book. The remaining six meetings are literacy talks in large groups, during which volunteers can share best practice recommendations and clients can workshop their delivery in a group setting. After one month of rehearsals, the audiobooks are recorded on mp3 players (specifically Clip Jams Sansa Discs) and volunteer producers will finish developing them. Each book is estimated to be finished and ready to deliver by three weeks after the last workshop.
Need in the community being addressed: In 2011, the Bureau of Justice reported that 59% of fathers and 58% of mothers in prison had no personal visits from any of their children. In Ohio, thousands of incarcerated parents do not see their children; and it cannot be said how many children of incarcerated parents have the means and the independence to make this choice themselves.But the positive effects of familial support for those who are incarcerated are well known: the Urban Institute cites that “family support and contact pre- and post-release, in the form of prison visits and housing, financial, and emotional support, for example, have been shown to be important for former prisoners’ transition from prison to the community.” By connecting with their loved ones through StoryChain, current and former prisoners have more motivation to improve their lives and establish positive, meaningful relationships. Additionally, for children of parents who are incarcerated, reading with their parents is vital to their development. Schools that have focused on parental engagement through the Toyota Family Literacy program report that more parent involvement in the learning process correlates with higher early literacy skills for children, increased self-confidence in adults, and an overall greater appreciation for books in the home (National Center for Families Learning). In a community like Dayton, this means that children who read with their parents through StoryChain are more likely to read and write at a higher level and cultivate a lifelong love of learning, leading to better education opportunities in the long run.
Target audience: The target audience of this project are incarcerated parents and their families in Dayton, OH – specifically those at the Dayton Correctional Institute. StoryChain’s demographic includes approximately 85% White, 7% Black, 3% Asian and 3% Other races and ethnicities. Clients also tend to be low in socioeconomic status: 48% have a GED or less than a high school education, and many have household incomes below the national poverty rate. Thus, the goal of StoryChain is truly to provide equitable learning opportunities for families of all incomes, education levels, and demographics in Ohio. Fostering a love of learning between members of a family is the foremost method of accomplishing such a goal.
Number of individuals impacted: nearly 250 individuals have been impacted since StoryChain’s founding in 2015, including approximately 500 volunteers and 130 inmates
Timeline: approximately 6 – 8 weeks
How will success be measured: Success will be measured through a series of five surveys administered to the incarcerated client, their child, and their child’s caregiver. The first assessment, delivered to each inmate during Session One, catalogs basic info about the incarcerated client: their reading level, their expectations for the program, and the type of book they would like to read. The next round of assessments—surveys 2, 3, and 4— are delivered at the end of the program for the inmate, their family, and the child’s caregiver. These assessments ask interviewees to convey their enjoyment level and their level of participation in the program, as well as the ways in which they perceive the audiobook process to have affected their family connections. The last survey is given to the child during their first listen of their parent’s book. This survey is delivered using emoticon charts representing indifferent, happy, or elated. It is used by the child to report their reaction to hearing their parent’s voice on the tape, and it is also used to determine whether the child would still be interested in reading the book their parents read even without the “living” recording. Almost every child indicates a positive response. StoryChain also measures success by totaling the number of participants who complete the program. Attending rehearsals, working independently and recording their own voice takes dedication and reproducible skills. This measurement-set can forge an imitable process that we can translate to other jails and prisons, encouraging participation in local and community projects.
How will the project be sustained: The following descriptions are the extended arms of Storychain that will maintain its sustainability. In addition to grants and donations, we actively develop projects consisting of social capital and profit making. The Strength-in-Place Initiative: A brief Google Drive Questionnaire we developed provided a database with over 70 names who are available for phone-conference voice training. Family members will read their material (not recorded) and receive feedback from at least two volunteers by phone. Being remote, this project is accessible for all types of people. We can now recruit more volunteers than ever before and provide more privacy measures for SIPI participants. Antioch Radical Performers: On May 27, 2022, StoryChain and several members from Antioch College performed live in front of patrons at the South West Library in Dayton, acting out word-for-word narration from recorded voices collected by the StoryChain program. Jabari Jumps, I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More, and more stories were compiled into a 40-minute show. We will do this again at the Yellow Springs Festival on October 8, 2022. This program advocates for awareness of StoryChain and those in the prison system, and it provides an opportunity for community donors to give. Community church or other outreach: We also reach out to churches and organizations whom clients and caregivers confirm as supporters of their child. Should these organizations choose to give, we deduct their donation from the $1500 budget we set for each family in the program (StoryChain will never expect the child’s family to pay).