An app is inspiring children to read books. But as a non-profit organisation in the US has shown, books are also highly valuable in prisons.
The organisation’s founder, a former prison resident himself for nine years, discovered how stories and books could provide perspective during his long stay in solitary confinement.
In the meantime, the registered lawyer has been building small libraries in American correctional centres. His team, including formerly incarcerated people, builds the bookshelves itself.
There are currently 520 libraries spread across 52 prisons, with almost 300,000 books supplied in total. Accompanying book groups, meanwhile, fuel discussion and a sense of belonging.
Initiatives focused on hairdressing and coding are also helping returning citizens reintegrate into society upon release.
