The U.S. prison population is among the highest in the world. The DC Area Books to Prisons Project (BTP), coordinated by EJUSA staffer Caleb Eber, provides a critical link between citizens who are incarcerated and those outside prison walls.
In 2002, BTP expanded the number of prisoners served from 500 to 600 in over 35 states – despite delays in finding a permanent home for its ever-growing library of donated books. In February, BTP’s regular book packing meetings grew in frequency, from every-other-week to weekly. Through ongoing correspondence with prisoners, BTP monitored prisoners’ access to the books shipped to them. The project also began collecting law books to help start or expand existing law libraries in prisons. In conjunction with the Maryland Justice Coalition and the National Women’s Prison Project, BTP made its first donation of legal books in mid-December, to the Baltimore City Women’s Detention Center.
In 2002, the project also identified the need for beginning reading materials to widen the scope of prisoners it serves to include those who are struggling with basic reading skills. The project has begun to reach out to correctional educators and ex-offenders for help in locating or developing such materials.
Looking ahead: In February 2003, BTP plans to finally open its permanent library in The Fleming Center. The Center, located in a Washington, DC neighborhood heavily impacted by the criminal justice system, is designed to be a hub for progressive activism where BTP will find much potential for attracting new people (particularly youth) to weekly book shipping gatherings and into the project’s core collective.
