Why Book Access and Information in Prisons Matter
Censorship and the suppression of reading materials are rarely about family values and almost always about control about who is snapping the whip, who is saying no, and who is saying go. – Stephen King
As many of you already know, Washington State Department of Corrections recently quietly made a policy change basically banning prison book donations from nonprofits like Book to Prisoners. The policy would have limited books already approved for prisoners from donations from nonprofits, local libraries, and other programs that offer educational opportunities for inmates. The prison system claimed that this was done because of limited staff to sort mail as well as funding and support from the Washington State Library (WSL). However, WSL claims they were not notified of this new policy.
Of course, outrage ensued and after 12,000 people signed Books to Prisoners’ Change.org petition, Washington Department of Correction is now reconsidering this new policy and working with Books to Prisoners again.
While this is a good step in the right direction, please keep in mind, this policy change was done quietly on purpose. This happens more often than we think around the country. Giving prisoners access to books and information provides opportunities for them to improve their lives both inside and outside prison. Ex-offenders are less likely to re-offend when they have more access to opportunities to better themselves. It is in everyone’s best interest to support prison literacy programs.
However, because many prisons are now privatized and are big money makers, it is not in the best interest of prisons to have an inmate population that is educated and their recidivism rate goes down…
Please consider learning more about and donation to prison book programs here.