Course:LIBR559A/Rahmi2015

Citation

Rahmi, R. & Lo, P. (2015). Youth empowerment through the use of prison libraries: Case studies of the tangerang juvenile detention center library and the salemba detention center library in Indonesia. Italian Journal of Library, Archives and Information Science, 6(1), 183-206. http://dx.doi.org/10.4403/jlis.it-10082

Annotation

The purpose of this study is to examine the situations and practices in two different prison libraries in Indonesia and their roles in addressing the social, recreational, educational and psychological issues amongst juvenile delinquents.

The qualitative information interviews occurred at the Tangeran Juvenille Detention Center which houses 220 inmates 12 to 18 years old and the Salemba Detention Center houses 572 inmates between 12-18 years old.

The library users at both centers were inmates and staff. The educational and psychological needs of these young inmates are no different to those of other children. One of the main goals at the detention center is to create an environment where the youth feel safe and cared for. In return, this will allow them to continue their education and social lives in an as normal manner. At Tangeran they offer a variety of activities and hence, try to be as comprehensive as possible regarding their library collection. At Salemba the librarian and other staff were required to organize recreational sports for the youth. Both librarians mentioned that although they would like to have a comprehensive supply of materials a lack of funds was an issue. As the results indicate both librarians must multi-task and be involved in co-hosting other activities. An advantage is that the librarians can become more involved and influential in these youth’s lives. At Tangeran soon they are looking at providing the youth with more computers and online databases as well as expanding their online community for educational purposes. At Salemba, they would also like to expand their digital collection since they have noticed that youth today prefer everything digital. They would also like to create an online community for peer learning, support and to be able to share their stories in a positive way with other inmates on the digital platform.

The youth at both detentions centers are isolated from the outside world hence, opportunities for education in a regular school setting are denied. For this reason, libraries play an important role in providing information and services for these youth’s educational needs. Having a functional library in prison will help the young inmates to not reoffend and an easier transition into society when they are released. It is important to know that at both detention centers; the prison is also a social place where inmates can interact with their families and other prison staff. Hence it can help develop positive relationships with others. However, due to a lack of funds these youths are a part of the digital divide. Although, they may have access to a computer, it may not be up to date and offer the most recent software and databases. I believe it is important to look at detention centres from a critical perspective and provide these youth with adequate tools. By providing them with adequate tools and positive experiences will help with an easier transition once released. It is beneficial how this study incorporated and focused on the library since once released the public library is an area where they are welcomed and can seek help for various community related queries including job searching.

Page Author: Irene Moreno