Prison Libraries from Freedom Reads Transform Inmate Lives
Written by Site Hub on July 9, 2025
Freedom Reads, a nonprofit founded by formerly incarcerated poet and lawyer Reginald Dwayne Betts, is transforming prisons through literature. The organization has installed nearly 500 handcrafted mini-libraries in 50 correctional facilities, offering 280,000 books to inmates. The libraries, built by former inmates and designed to contrast prison architecture, foster introspection and community. Inmate Maria Montalvo credits books for helping her reform and engage in meaningful conversations in both Spanish and English. The program emphasizes bilingualism and includes Spanish-language classics. Freedom Reads also launched the Inside Literary Prize, judged by incarcerated readers. Betts’ mission is to expand the program to 20,000 prisons nationwide, believing that “freedom begins with a book.”
Source: NBC News
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