How a book club is helping to keep ex-offenders from going back to jail

Two former D.C. jail inmates talk to PostTV about Free Minds, the program that allows teens to express themselves by writing. Robert Barksdale and Juan Peterson share poetry they wrote while behind bars. (Jorge Ribas/The Washington Post)

By Robert Samuels February 25 at 7:17 PM

Robert Barksdale steps in front of the students in an English class at Eastern High School, searching for some semblance of redemption.

“For me, school is a treat because I never got to be in school, for real,” he begins. He always envisioned visiting a school to speak to students but was beginning to realize the pressures of standing in front of the classroom. He scans the room and says: “Y’all are a little intimidating.”

How a Book Club is Helping to Keep Ex-Offenders From Going Back to Jail by Thavam Ratna