INDIANAPOLIS -- Inmates at a Marion County jail now have the opportunity to better themselves while serving time behind bars.

Marion County Jail II in Indianapolis has partnered with Indy Reads, a nonprofit literacy outreach program, to offer classes in reading and life skills to inmates, 6News' Jack Rinehart reported.

Studies show that 70 percent of adults in jail cannot read above a fourth-grade level, and that one in five inmates has no reading skills at all.

Indy Reads has an average of 28 days to provide instruction to most inmates, focusing on core skills like reading the paper to find jobs and how to open a checking account.

Even with the short timeframe, jail officials said it's important to show inmates why reading is important.

"We can do a lot of work in the four weeks to get them motivated, to make learning and education a priority and a goal," said Assistant Warden Michelle Ryder.

Even without an education, inmate Terrance Williams said he could read his future. He was one of the first inmates to enroll in the program.

"I'd probably end up in here, or a worse place, like prison. Or I might end up dead," he said. "I'm trying to work on my interviewing skills, and try to get hired, and further my education."

Indy Reads serves adults 18 years and older in central Indiana who read at or below the sixth-grade level, or who are learning English as a new language.

More Information: Indy Reads