Why Books Are Essential to Prisoners
"Today, 2.3 million people are behind bars. The state’s largest prisons typically devote $1000 to each prison to purchase around 50 new books per year. Other prisons spend even less. In 2017, the Illinois Department of Corrections spent $276 on books across 28 correctional facilities. These numbers suggest that the educational opportunities for prisoners are slim.
Access to books is essential for prisoner rehabilitation. Inmates who participate in education programs have lower recidivism rates. A study by the Bureau of Justice Statistics shows that 68% of prisoners are incarcerated again within three years of their release date. But for prisoners who utilized the library or took part in prison education programs, there is a 43% reduction in recidivism rates. Many prison education programs regularly face steep budget cuts varying year to year. Allowing prisoners to have access to books provides an educational alternative. In other words, books have the power to rehabilitate.
Prisons should not only be places where people are punished for crimes, but also where they can grow and improve in prison so their time is not wasted. According to an anonymous prisoner in North Carolina, books have been “invaluable to [him] during [his] incarceration.” According to former prisoner Chris Wilson, “the great resource in prison is time: the time to think and improve. The best way for prisoners to fill that time is to read. Reading opens up access to instruction across any subject. It teaches job skills. It reminds those left behind that a world exists beyond the cage.” While imprisoned, inmates have limited access to the Internet or other ways to connect to society. As a result, many prisoners report feeling dehumanized or isolated. Access to books offers prisoners a chance to learn, to explore their interests, reflect upon their own lives, and reconnect with society to some extent.
On another level, books help improve vocabulary and literacy skills in prisoners. Over 70% of inmates in America's prisons cannot read above a fourth grade level, and people incarcerated are 13 to 24 percent more likely to fall into the lowest levels of literacy rates in the nation. A study shows that inmates who use the prison library have higher average literacy when reading prose or documents of any sort. Those who use the library resources daily show improvement in literacy and math skills over the course of their incarceration.
Recently, West Virginia attempted to provide free tablets for emails on e-books by signing a contract with the company Global Tel Link (GTL). However, the company charges users every time they use the tablets: 25 cents a page for emails and 3 cents a minute to read e-books. In that sense, most inmates end up paying $15 or more for each book they read. Most prisoners cannot afford to pay this much; this is an example of exploitation. The main beneficiary is Global Tel Link. West Virginia receives 5% of the profits. Other companies are doing the same. JPay, owned by Securus Technologies, charges inmates to make calls, send emails, and listen to music or audiobooks. Edovo, a technology provider for prisons, has also charged inmates to rent tablets. Instead of companies exploiting prisoners, prisoners should be given physical books rather than taken advantage of.
In a recent article for Protean magazine called “The American Prison System’s War on Reading,” Alex Skopic writes, “Across the United States, the agencies responsible for mass imprisonment are trying to severely limit incarcerated people’s access to the written word—an alarming trend.” In a country that recognizes and relishes in its universal freedom, denying prisoners the right to read or exploiting prisoners for books is inhumane. Though some limits are necessarily imposed in prisons, ultimately, reading and accessing information is among our most basic freedoms, and everyone, including prisoners, should have the ability to read without being exploited. Leaving people in prison with no chance for self-improvement means that prisoners have little chance of living productive lives after release. Investing in people who are incarcerated is essential, and books are a low-cost yet meaningful way to transform prisons from institutions of punishment to organizations that create positive change. "