Pages for Freedom: Books for Correctional Facilities
What are we doing?
Hello everyone, my name is Alvin Lee and I’m launching this fundraiser to help the American justice system. Specifically, 100% of the amount raised in this fundraiser will be donated to the Maryland Correctional Libraries in the form of legal aid, vocational, and educational books that inmates will be able to access while they are incarcerated. My small group, the Student Justice Alliance, is inspired by icons like Bryan Stevenson, the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative and a public interest lawyer who fought for death row inmates in Alabama, taking cases to the Supreme Court. He once stated “The true measure of our commitment to justice, the character of our society, our commitment to the rule of law, fairness, and equality cannot be measured by how we treat the rich, the powerful, the privileged, and the respected among us. The true measure of our character is how we treat the poor, the disfavored, the accused, the incarcerated, and the condemned.”
By all measures, America’s incarcerated population is among the most marginalized– 4.5 million Americans lack the right to vote because of a past conviction, and “tough on crime” policies have resulted in the mass incarceration of disproportionately Black and brown Americans. These populations are the poor, the disfavored, the accused, the condemned, and, certainly, the incarcerated. If the true character of our society is, as Bryan Stevenson states, measured by how we treat our incarcerated, we would be seen as backward and barbaric.
Who are we helping?
Our prisons and jails are in crisis, and so are the 1.2 million Americans who find themselves imprisoned. These ineffective and detrimental conditions have caused reoffenses to become too common. Recidivism rates– the tendency for released individuals to re-offend– present the stark reality of the problems in our current prison system. Over 70% of prisoners find themselves back in prison due to repeated offenses. When over 2 in 3 prisoners find themselves in prison repeatedly, the harsh, punitive treatment of the incarcerated isn’t working.
When prisoners get out of prison, they don’t have jobs, the ability to vote, and, too often, an education. All of these factors are critical to their ability to reintegrate into society. When they can’t do that, it forces them to succumb to committing crimes.
How are we helping?
The solution to this problem is to address their experiences inside prisons. Instead of punishment, we should approach imprisonment as reform, making sure that when their sentence is over, they have the necessary skills to become members of society.
One solution lies in the transformative power of books. Book donations to prisons can play a pivotal role in the rehabilitation process by providing inmates with knowledge, empowerment, and decision-making abilities. Access to literature and educational materials not only fosters intellectual growth but also encourages empathy and personal development. Beyond education, books provide the necessary skills for the incarcerated to reintegrate into society after their sentence.
However, the limited availability of books and other educational materials in prison remains a challenge. The Student Justice Alliance fights for prison reform and the power of books. Through fundraising for book donations at detention centers across Maryland, we hope to rehabilitate and reintegrate imprisoned Americans successfully.
While true, permanent reform is necessary, the Student Justice Alliance believes that increasing the likelihood for prisoners to escape a cycle of incarceration through donating educational resources and books, empowers the incarcerated and raises their voices.
Our initiative to bring more books to prisons is inspired by the experiences of civil rights icons like Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr. In prison, Nelson Mandela initiated the University of Robben Island, named after the prison he was held in, where he held lectures, fostered debate on socio-economic topics, wrote his autobiography, and wrote dozens of letters. Nelson Mandela was able to turn prison into a place of learning and growth. When he was finally released, he never missed a step and continued a revolutionary campaign towards ending apartheid in South Africa. Martin Luther King Jr. was able to pen the “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, one of the most impactful documents for the American Civil Rights movement.
It is heroes like these that can show the true potential prisons can have with impactful reform. We hope that one day, every prisoner has the necessary support they need to be able to seek growth, education, and a future. Today, the Student Justice Alliance takes its first step toward reforming the American prison system.
