The key to the success has been making the programs part of the culture within the correctional facilities. This has been possible because the chief correction officers fully support positive programs. In addition to program support, the Goldman Fund brought the recipient organizations together, and as a result, these organizations have created a literacy and corrections coalition that allows them to share information and expertise and to bring the programs to higher levels. The Marin County Inmate Literacy Project offers three literacy programs in San Quentin State Prison and the Marin County Jail. The P.A.R.E.N.T.S. curriculum provides family literacy instruction and parenting education to men and women inmates at the Marin County Jail.
Inmates develop literacy skills through reading to children.
The Peer Tutoring Program develops inmates' literacy skills by training them to tutor their peers in a prison setting. The San Francisco Sheriff's Department has been a leader in the provision of innovative educational, vocational and drug treatment programs for prisoners. The Sheriff's Department's Learning Center at the San Bruno Jail focuses on literacy, GED attainment, English as a Second Language instruction, basic adult education and computer literacy. The Inmate Literacy Project also operates minimum-security libraries at Elmwood and at the Correctional Center for Women. For your convenience, we have provided a template to follow.