Often, women coming out of prison have no families, and almost always they have no money. "It's a matter of survival, and literacy is at the bottom of the pile," the interviewee stated. Her view was that women must have ample opportunity to participate in literacy programming while they are serving time. She felt that participation while women are in prison will lead to participation outside the institution.

She expressed anger that correctional institutions "treat women like children". Women should be taken more seriously, and offered a variety of programs for literacy and skill development. In addition, she stressed the need for post-release follow-up, noting that women should be paid to continue studying and upgrading their skills while they are on parole.

7.4 Profile 4

As a participant in a prison literacy program, this woman felt that the greatest benefit of the program was the support she received from the other women. She is currently working on her reading and writing, and hopes to complete Grade Nine.

She has never participated in any kind of programming before, and greatly appreciates the encouragement she receives from her teacher. She spoke of the high level of trust between her and her teacher, stating she felt she could "tell her anything".

In addition, she liked the emphasis on group problem-solving, and felt good about being able to use her first language to understand difficult concepts. She plans to continue in an adult learning program once she is out on parole.