ABSTRACT
Over 90% of incarcerated individuals will be released from prison to face the challenges of reentry (Petersilia, 2005). There is perhaps no better authority on this process than incarcerated individuals themselves. We are honored to share the works of incarcerated individuals who are part of the ID13 Prison Literacy Project. The ID13 Prison Literacy Project is a collaboration between the authors at Kent State University and incarcerated individuals at the privately-run Lake Erie Correctional Institution (LaECI) in Conneaut, Ohio. The name “ID13” is inspired by the writers’ use of their “offender” prison identification number to sign work and the 13th Amendment’s provision permitting slavery as a form of criminal punishment. ID13 is founded upon the idea that words give all of us the unique opportunity to express who we are, on our own terms, and in our own words. Its motto: ID13 – We are Human. We Write.
