Prison Libraries: Helping Justice-Impacted People and Their Families

Whether we acknowledge it or not, the realities of American prisons affect millions of people and families across the country. At the end of 2023, nearly 1.85 million people were incarcerated in state or federal prisons or local jails, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). And over a lifetime, an estimated 5.1 percent of Americans will serve time in a state or federal prison, based on BJS lifetime-risk analysis. These percentages may seem small at first, but applied to the entirety of the US population, they represent millions of people who pass through our carceral systems.

Every person experiencing incarceration has a journey shaped by their sentence and the circumstances of their confinement—where they are held, how they adapt to the day-to-day demands of prison life, and more. Yet there are some unfortunate commonalities. Our societal expectations often lean toward punishment alone as the defining feature of a person’s experience inside. Instead of setting people up to succeed upon reentry, many languish in environments that are lacking in help and support by design.

In this model, it isn’t just the individual who suffers, but their family as well. Each justice-impacted person has loved ones—parents, spouses, children, and other relatives—who must navigate separation, uncertainty, and the hope that their family member will have opportunities to grow and prepare for life after prison. 

As with so many other parts of our society, libraries help fill these unseen gaps and ensure fewer people fall through the cracks. Prison libraries are an important and growing facet of librarianship, and we at EveryLibrary are committed to shining a light on the ways prison librarians support people inside and their families. Here, we highlight three important takeaways about how prison libraries make a meaningful difference.

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Rehabilitation and Restoration Over Punishment

Libraries are all about making it easier for people to get the things they need to thrive. Beyond the occasional fine or respectful enforcement of a policy, libraries are in the business of building connections for everyone in their community.

While prisons are easy to overlook when we think about our communities—what they look like and where support is needed—prison libraries are growing to meet the needs of their population. Someone can finish their sentence, leave prison, and reenter society with advantages they didn’t previously possess if we invest our resources and energy into helping them do so. 

Programs that emphasize job-market preparation, along with classes on adult literacy and skill-building, don’t just help the justice-impacted individual; they help their families, too. It isn’t only the incarcerated person who suffers from leaving society—losing their job and putting their lives on hold—but everyone who depended on them, financially or otherwise, feels that impact as well.

By setting people up to fend for themselves and be in a better financial and social position to support their families after their sentences end, prison libraries help repair some of the damage caused when people enter prison, and their families are left to navigate life without them. This is what true rehabilitation and restoration look like. Libraries do this work every day, in big and small ways, and prison libraries are no exception.

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Encouraging Comfort and Safety

Prisons can be an intimidating place, and not just for those who are incarcerated. Visiting families often struggle to relax and enjoy their time with their loved one amid security measures—armed guards, checkpoints, and the strict nature of supervised visitation areas. 

Prison libraries have succeeded in restoring some humanity through programs that allow parents who are incarcerated to borrow books to read with their children, transforming a stilted, awkward visitation into a memory families can treasure.

Outside visitation hours, prison libraries also serve as a safer, more productive place for incarcerated individuals to spend time. Most prisons grant only a limited number of hours per week for library sessions, but those hours offer many opportunities and help keep patrons engaged in positive activities.

Knowing that there is a physical space dedicated to helping their loved ones succeed provides families with peace of mind. A library can be one of the few places inside a person where comfort, safety, and personal growth are intentionally fostered. 

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Support Systems Can Make a Difference

The opportunities to learn, grow, and prepare for life after prison through prison libraries reassure justice-impacted individuals and their families alike that there is hope on the outside. People returning from incarceration face serious challenges even after their sentence is complete, and one of those challenges that often goes unacknowledged is a lack of trust in institutions. Spending what may be years of one’s life behind bars is a profoundly altering experience that can leave lasting feelings of resentment and isolation.

One way we can address that distrust is to show people—again and again, if necessary—the important and potentially life-changing work that libraries are set up to do. A well-supported prison library lays the groundwork to show that help is available to everyone in the community, regardless of past mistakes. This doesn’t just help people believe in the power of libraries, but also in the idea that good outcomes can result from seeking help.

Prison libraries serve as one of the first places to help newly incarcerated people believe that, even with all the hardships they will undergo, there is still support available to meet their needs and the needs of their families.

Despite the invaluable and innovative work that prison libraries undertake, they have historically received very little attention. Prisons themselves are uniquely vulnerable to state budget cuts, and, as with many other library fields, prison libraries and the work they do are too often among the first items on the chopping block.

EveryLibrary will continue reporting on and working to support this vital area of library work, and we ask that you consider doing what you can as well. You can learn more about prison libraries and sign our petition to support the Prison Libraries Act today.

Visit www.everylibrary.org to learn more about our work on behalf of libraries. 

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