Books Through Bars
Encyclopedia
Books Through Bars is an American
organization which works to provide quality reading material to prisoners. It was founded in 1989 by New Society Publishers of Philadelphia. There are approximately 30 similar, but unaffiliated, organizations throughout the U.S.
Because prisoners in American prison
s are not able to receive books from sources other than recognized publishers, bookstores, or other legitimate distributors, those without the financial resources to buy books have very limited access to them. Prison libraries are not being funded, in part because reading material is widely seen as irrelevant to a "mostly uneducated and indeed largely illiterate prison population" (Antonin Scalia, majority opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court, Lewis v. Casey, No. 94-1511). New Society Publishers began its program after it began receiving letters from indigent prisoners, and provides donated books to individual prisoners, prison libraries, and halfway house
s. The organization distributes several hundred packages per month. It also sponsors regular public events relating to issues such as human rights
, the war on drugs
, and prison reform
.
Books Through Bars is run by nine core members plus about twenty volunteers, and is supported by grant money from a number of charitable organizations.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
organization which works to provide quality reading material to prisoners. It was founded in 1989 by New Society Publishers of Philadelphia. There are approximately 30 similar, but unaffiliated, organizations throughout the U.S.
Because prisoners in American prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
s are not able to receive books from sources other than recognized publishers, bookstores, or other legitimate distributors, those without the financial resources to buy books have very limited access to them. Prison libraries are not being funded, in part because reading material is widely seen as irrelevant to a "mostly uneducated and indeed largely illiterate prison population" (Antonin Scalia, majority opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court, Lewis v. Casey, No. 94-1511). New Society Publishers began its program after it began receiving letters from indigent prisoners, and provides donated books to individual prisoners, prison libraries, and halfway house
Halfway house
The purpose of a halfway house, also called a recovery house or sober house, is generally to allow people to begin the process of reintegration with society, while still providing monitoring and support; this is generally believed to reduce the risk of recidivism or relapse when compared to a...
s. The organization distributes several hundred packages per month. It also sponsors regular public events relating to issues such as human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
, the war on drugs
War on Drugs
The War on Drugs is a campaign of prohibition and foreign military aid and military intervention being undertaken by the United States government, with the assistance of participating countries, intended to both define and reduce the illegal drug trade...
, and prison reform
Prison reform
Prison reform is the attempt to improve conditions inside prisons, aiming at a more effective penal system.-History:Prisons have only been used as the primary punishment for criminal acts in the last couple of centuries...
.
Books Through Bars is run by nine core members plus about twenty volunteers, and is supported by grant money from a number of charitable organizations.