Inmate development specialist Crystal Luna attempts to bring any self-development and educational opportunities to the inmates. Luna believes it is exposure to the arts through the Literacy Center, as well as the substance abuse classes, parenting classes and meditation classes that the jail offers, that ultimately leads to changes in the incarcerated, which then lead to a safer and healthier community when they are released.

“The [Literacy Center] has positively increased the participants in reading, art, personal writing, storytelling and poetry,” Luna said. “It allows individuals to learn different ways of expressing themselves and offers a moment to step outside of incarceration for two hours a week.”

David Richardson, a retired teacher and attorney who has been volunteering with the Literacy Center since its 2012 inception, said there is a pressing need for more of what they do at the jail.

“The inmates that we deal with are uniformly grateful for our time and efforts," Richardson said. "They often let us know that we are one of the few outsiders who seem to care at all about them in any measure and in any way.”

Richardson and Parsons agreed they have never felt unsafe around the inmates and said they have learned much from them.