By Rachel Wallis

There are over two million people in jail or prison in the United States today; most are non-violent offenders. As crime rates drop, incarceration rates have grown tremendously in the last twenty years, and the services available for prisoners have dwindled away. While GED programs are available in most prisons, non-vocational higher education is almost never offered. When prisoners are allowed to take upper level classes, they are often forced pay for them themselves. 

This is why prison libraries are so important. They allow prisoners a chance to improve their lives in a system where the word rehabilitation is barely spoken anymore. Unfortunately, many wardens and guards view prison libraries as a privilege rather than a right, and many prisoners have little access to the few books that are available. 

That is where programs like Books For Prisoners come in. Books for Prisoners is a non-profit organization in Seattle that sends books, free of charge, to prisoners who write to them with requests. Starting the weekend of the 12th, Community Service House will be placing boxes around campus to collect books for prisoners. They particularly need dictionaries (both English and Spanish), books on African American Studies and history, and Chicano and Spanish literature. They do not accept hardcover books (they’re expensive to ship), or religious or legal materials (there are plenty of organizations who already provide them for free). 

When it’s time to sell back your books, consider giving them to someone who will get a lot more out of them than Atticus. For more information, or if you would like to donate money to help with the shipping costs, you can contact Rachel Wallis at x6154

Wallis is a member of the class of 2003.