In 2011, CJ Miller was invited to a recidivism reduction event hosted by the Ohio Department Correction facility; at the event, Miller addressed 250 low-level offending inmates. At the conclusion of his speech, Miller was overwhelmed by the number of inmates (many in their 20’s and 30’s) who stood in line to ask him if he could help them get their creative writings, songs, and art out to the world.

“Did they have these creative ideas before making the decisions that led to incarceration?” This question led Miller to invest countless hours into understanding the relationship between literacy and incarceration.  

According to the National Assessment of Adult Literacy, two-thirds of students that cannot read proficiently by the end of the 4^th grade will end up in jail or on welfare.

While researching illiteracy disparities Miller asked himself, “What would happen if someone were to plant satellite brand development book publishing programs at the classroom, neighborhood, and corporate level?” And, PHABB 5 was born.