New York’s pilot program blocks ‘books to prisoners’ programs
New York State is piloting a program which only allows a few prison-industrial complex ‘approved vendors’ – which have a limited, unhelpful set of full-priced books – to send packages to prisoners.
There’s more information via this Buzzfeed article. Let’s publicize why this is a terrible idea and non-profits like us should still be able to send much-needed books to prisoners:
(NOTE: Looks like NY just added another vendor which has more books – as noted here – but the problem remains that non-profits will no longer be able to send books in for free, and most inmates can’t afford full-priced books.)
Prisoners Literature Project is an inclusive, all-volunteer, grassroots nonprofit whose purpose is to encourage reading, the pursuit of knowledge, and self-determination among incarcerated people. By sending free reading materials to those behind bars, PLP aims to foster learning and critical thinking and help people prepare to lead successful lives after incarceration. We believe that all people have a right to read.
