Prison library

For example, the Jessup Correctional Institute in Maryland started a program that provided books for prisoners to read to their children or grandchildren on visiting days.

[7] Prison libraries provide a space for inmates to meet with others with common interests.

One of the many services provided by a prison librarian is to have conversation with the inmates regarding the reasons they are in their current situation, After which, the librarian will make catalog suggestions to the inmate that will give them guidance in future decision making.

[15] The prosecutors in his case wanted to see Hayes' reading lists after he was convicted of the murder, kidnapping and sexual assault of members of the Petit family.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons regulations state that publications can only be rejected if they are found to be "detrimental to the security, good order, or discipline of the institution or if it might facilitate criminal activity."

[17] "Both formal and informal processes of censorship occur in the prison, and there is significant variation in which materials are censored from one institution to the next.

In many prisons during this time period the library collection consisted only of the Bible and sometimes prayer books.

[20] According to Lehmann (2011), "The main purpose of reading was believed to be strengthening of character, religious devotion, and what we today would call behavior modification.

[19] With a decline in industrial demands prisoners became idle and restless and libraries were seen as a way to occupy them.

In 1974, two Massachusetts cases – Wolf v. McDonnell and Stone v. Boone – mandated that prisons provide on-site libraries, which paved the way for Bounds v. Smith, 430 U.S. 817 (1977).

[21] Bounds v. Smith ruled that prisons were required to provide access to people trained in law or law library collections in order to meet the constitutional requirement of meaningful access to the courts.

[1] Lewis v. Casey ruled that prisoners do not have an absolute right to a law library.

Rather an inmate must show that he was unable to pursue a legal claim because of the inadequacy of the law library.

[22] In other words, lack of an adequate law library caused the inmate actual injury.

The ruling in Lewis makes it much more difficult to seek improvement to a prison's law library.

[23] However, some believe that Lewis is not as devastating as it appears to be and Bounds v. Smith still remains good law.

[34] During the Cultural Revolution, however, camps operated by the reform through labour program were not guaranteed reading materials beyond the works of Mao Zedong.

[37] CILIP's Prison Library Group actively supports prison libraries in England and Wales through promotion, policy, advice, continuing education, networking, advocacy, mentoring, publishing, and involvement.

[43] "In order to introduce a larger audience to the institution libraries, the SPIP quickly took the initiative to develop a series of projects around books, literature, and writing.

[47] The libraries contained religious materials from various denominations, which inmates were encouraged to read and discuss.

[47] The purpose of the prison library is to provide recreation, support education, and help with the personal development of inmates.

[55] However, according to Costanzo & Montecchi, Italy's prison libraries are still in need of a central organization for direction, monitoring, and standards.

[58] However, the only mention of a "prison library" is a provision requiring that the warden make reading materials available.

[64] While there are problems with Poland's prison libraries, such as limited space, cataloguing issues, and limited hours of access, there are dedicated employees within the system that value the role education and books play in rehabilitation and are helping to provide inmates with options for leisure activities and social development.

This is especially true of prisoners who have spent a long time incarcerated, as public libraries offer beneficial services.

The Hartford Public Library, for example, offers ex-offender resources that include reentry and support services.

[70] Their website offers different links and resource information from employment help to family counseling.

[72][73] The Special Interest Group, Library Services to the Justice Involved, provides support to those who serve patrons of any age who are held in jail, prison, detention or immigration facility.