More about Books in Prison

An excellent article in The Independent by Arifa Akbar following up the debate this week over the restrictions on prisoners receiving books.

Library access in prisons varies hugely–some prisoners are only able to go there once in 6 weeks; if there’s a security scare access to the library is often the first thing to go.  Prisoners are frequently studying and need more or different books that are available in the library anyway.  And books aren’t just about gaining qualifications.  Sarah Turvey, from our friends Prison Reading Groups, quotes numerous examples of the many important things that books can do behind bars–sharing your child’s GCSE reading to feel more connected, sharing a book as an icebreaker for family visits as well as opening people to the empathy that reading brings. Every page an open door.