BOOK CLUB BEHIND BARS

A New PATH Creates a Book Club for Female Inmates at theFamily Foundations Program

San Diego, CA
Wednesday, October 27, 2004, 3pm

A New PATH (Parents for Addiction Treatment & Healing) has formed a Book Club behind bars at the Family Foundations Program at 3050 Armstrong Street in Kearny Mesa. Reading can be a very beneficial form of rehabilitation, so Sylvia Liwerant (Co-Founder of A New PATH) has formed a group of volunteers, including Raquel Cohen, Phyllis Epstein, Rebecca Rodkin and Sheila Hittleman-Sohn to lead group discussions on different books at a women with children prison program called “Family Foundations Program”. This program is for female non-violent substance abusers that have young children and/or are pregnant. The women that live there have to complete a one-year program, during which they have self- help groups, anger management, etc. to help in their rehabilitation.

Sixteen of the twenty-nine women that live there have already sighed up for the “BookGroup”. They all have a high school education, and some of them have completed theirGED’s. The response at the getting acquainted meeting was so positive that they are ready to meet bi-monthly. The first session is scheduled for October 27, 2004 at 3PM. A New PATH wants to facilitate and promote the joy of reading and would like the women to keep the books they read so they can start their own libraries once they leave the prison. When they go back into the community they will be given a gift certificate or a special discount in a bookstore to encourage them to continue reading.

A New PATH is a non-profit organization of parents, concerned citizens and communityleaders working together to advocate for treatment instead of incarceration for non-violent drug offenders and “therapeutic justice” for substance abuse related crimes. According to Sylvia Liwerant, “Reading a book means living in the world of the characters portrayed in the book. It is a form of meditation, healing and tranquility. I am hoping reading will contribute to the rehabilitation and well-being of these women.”

If you have any questions or would like to contribute funds or books, please contact Sylvia Liwerant at 858-459-0062 or the PATH office at 619-670-1184 or www.anewpathsite.org