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| Crime and punishment: Juvenile offenders study Russian literature |
| By washingtonpost.com - Susan Svrluga |
| Published: 05/13/2013 |
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VIRGINIA - When another inmate was hassling Justice Green recently, Green didn’t hit him. Instead, he tossed him the 19th-century Russian literature story he was reading at the time and said: Come back to me in a week after you’ve read this. Something strange is happening at Beaumont Juvenile Correctional Center. Residents are so eager to get into a Russian literature class led by the University of Virginia that prison officials use it as a reward. The youths are clamoring to read weighty books such as “War and Peace” even after the class is over. And someone like Green, an 18-year-old from Northern Virginia who said he’s there “for grand theft autos,” knew he could walk away from a fight certain he had won. (Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post) - An inmate writes down his thoughts -- a reminder that he has a choice in his destiny -- during a Russian literature class at Beaumont Juvenile Correctional Center in Beaumont, Va., on April 16. The idea of bringing Tolstoy to juvenile offenders is flat ridiculous to some, who think they need a tough wake-up call and practical job skills, not what they consider literary fluff. Read More. |
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