NOT YOUR AVERAGE BOOK CLUB.

Funny how you sometimes start researching a post and it becomes a completely different one to the one you had intended. I had thought to do today's post on an article sent to me by a friend on how a group of mental health service users in Merseyside, Liverpool were involved in a scheme called Get Into Reading, an inspiring outreach programme run by THE READER ORGANISATION, a charity dedicated to nothing less than bringing about a reading revolution when I came across this article about the use of books within the prison service.

Prison Reading Champions is a scheme designed to engage both prisoners and prison staff alike in reading, giving them the opportunity to get involved with, and receive recognition from, a national scheme. (Click HERE to read more.)

No bad thing when you consider that low achievement in school can lead to many things including crime. Not that I'm making excuses but, according to Youth Justice Board which oversees the justice system for the under-21's, excluded school pupils are almost three times more likely to commit crimes than their peers who are in school with over half the people on a Detention And Training Order having literacy and numeracy levels below that expected of an 11-year-old, although their average age is 17.

Now I don't particularly want to get into the whole argument of crime and punishment but I'm sure that most of you will agree that the above statistics are rather appalling and that the Prison Reading Champions must be a step in the right direction.

And talking of books and posts that became other than intended ..........

Once again, whilst looking for another article I came across this Digested Read, a series in the Guardian whereby books are presented in, well, their digested forms which you might consider avoiding if you haven't already read the book concerned.

A DIGESTED READ OF DAN BROWN'S THE LOST SYMBOL by John Crace.