WRI’s Dr. James Morgante and his research team are pleased to announce a partnership with the Bridge of Books Foundation. The Bridge of Books Foundation is a non-profit, volunteer organization that provides books to underserved children throughout the state of New Jersey. Provided books are intended to nurture the development of literacy skills and foster a love of reading. On Thursday, September 15th, 2016 the Bridge of Books Foundation donated over 400 children’s books to WRI. Fiction and non-fiction books, for children aged pre-K through 8th grade, will be given to South Jersey children of incarcerated parents who participate in a research initiative intended to understand the impact of incarceration on parent-child relationships. Funding for the initiative comes from the Pascale Sykes Foundation. In partnering with the Bridge of Books Foundation, WRI hopes to explore how joint-book reading between children and their incarcerated parents can strengthen family relationships and, potentially, reduce recidivism. The research initiative is expected to begin this fall.