There are close to two million people held in United States prisons on any given day, making it the fifth-highest incarceration rate worldwide as of this year. Many prisoners have jobs, making anywhere from 33 cents to $1.41 per hour. This hardly pays for much, being significantly under the minimum wage for all states. That being said, oftentimes in public prisons, prisoners have to pay extreme prices for media such as books, which can be insanely costly and therefore inaccessible.
Prison life is stressful, but books are a good relief. With books available, violent behavior and outbursts are significantly reduced. While literature certainly isn’t a cure-all, it can be a good emotional regulator. This is all the more reason that books should be freely provided by the state for prisons.
Learning does not just stop because of a jail sentence. Oftentimes, the best resource for education in a controlled environment, such as prison, is books. In fact, the American Library Association stands behind these ideals. On its website, there is an emphasis on the fact that everyone deserves intellectual freedom.
Unfortunately, it is not standard for books to be provided. Privately owned institutions may vary in their rules, but most detention centers rely on the rental systems. While it makes sense from an accountability standpoint, renting books by the second to people who have no alternative choice is wrong. Written works can be liberating for the mind; therefore, everyone should have access to them.
Paper books are sold at extreme prices, with digital tablets for books and games being even worse. In West Virginia, it costs 3-5 cents per second to rent an electronic tablet. When free libraries are available all over the country, why should prisoners be forced to spend their already low wages on books just to engage themselves? The renting system can make books inaccessible for incarcerated individuals, which could have a huge impact on mental health.
NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, advocates for all people with mental health conditions to get quality mental health treatment. That includes incarcerated people, who usually don’t receive proper treatment.
“About two in five people who are incarcerated have a history of mental illness,” NAMI Board of Directors said. “This is twice the prevalence of mental illness within the overall adult population.”
With a lack of accessibility to media, it is assumed that mental health takes a toll. Prison is often recognized to be dehumanizing, with each individual representing a number instead of a personhood. Making the fundamental right to read next to unattainable is a detriment to the system because it only proves to have negative impacts.
As many recognize the flaws of the book rental system, some have come together to make a change. There are many programs that provide books for free. One notable organization is Books Through Bars, a program that allows the public to donate books to correctional institutions to give prisoners a better, easier way to read.
Depriving people of something that promotes mental fitness is wrong. Free books could be a life changer for the nearly 2 million incarcerated people in America. Changes should be made to grant everyone the fundamental right to read.
