Why Send Books to Incarcerated People?
We’ve spent billions to imprison millions…
Since 1980, the number of incarcerated Americans has quintupled, from a little under 500,000 to over 2.2 million in 2012. The start of the COVID-19 pandemic saw a reduction in the number of people incarcerated, but in both 2022 and 2023, state prison populations increased more than in any year since 2006.
At present, the United States has the highest rate of incarceration in the world. We have less than 5% of the world’s population and more than 20% of its prison population.
Yet the number of people incarcerated bears little relation to the actual rate of crime in the U.S. Between 1980 and 2000, the homicide rate was roughly cut in half (from 10 to 5 per 100,000 people), while the incarceration rate more than tripled (from 209 to 703 per 100,000 people). The 2024 crime rate was the lowest it’s been since 1961. Studies have shown that incarceration may increase the likelihood that people will commit crimes in the future.
Much of the growth has occurred because more non-violent offenders are getting locked up, and for longer periods of time. In federal prisons and jails, 43.4% of people (by far the largest category) were convicted of drug offenses, while only 5.4% of people were convicted of violent crimes. About 40% of people in state prisons are non-violent offenders. This is the result of the War on Drugs, which imposed mandatory minimums and “three-strikes” laws for minor, non-violent drug offenses. These policies don’t affect people equally. For instance, Black and white people use drugs at similar rates, but the incarceration rate for drug offenses among Black people is almost 6 times that of white people.
…and paid a steep price.
Putting all these people behind bars has not deterred crime or kept us safer. It has, however,
Pulled people out of schools and careers, derailing their future prospects
Decimated communities—in particular, poor communities of color
Locked individuals, families, and whole communities into relentless cycles of poverty
Drained federal, state, and local budgets, resulting in states slashing education spending while increasing prison spending (between 1989–2013, average state corrections expenditures increased almost 18 times more than higher education expenditures)
Led to prison overcrowding, poor conditions, stretched budgets, and fewer libraries and educational opportunities for people who are incarcerated
Meanwhile, the complex social issues that land people in prison to begin with have not been effectively addressed, let alone solved.
This is central to Books Through Bars’ mission: we believe that mass incarceration is not the answer to the issues that lead people to commit crimes.
Number of People Incarcerated by Decade, U.S.
Source: U.S. Department of Education. Click to expand.
Books + knowledge…
About 75% of people incarcerated in state prisons did not complete high school. Years spent behind bars deprives people of formal education, job experience, and financial earnings.
Think about it: most people who enter prison eventually leave. Each year, hundreds of thousands of individuals return to the streets with the same problems that landed them in there in the first place, still unaddressed and often worsened.
The answers to these problems is not imprisonment. It is knowledge.
Studies have overwhelmingly shown that people who become more educated while incarcerated are less likely to return to prison. The free books and correspondence courses provided by Books Through Bars directly address the gap in resources and access to education.
We know our work makes a direct difference to people who are incarcerated: hundreds have told us so. At their lowest point, they were given access to knowledge that taught them something new and gave them the power and confidence to change for the better. What they learn—literacy, skills, self-confidence, self-help—changes their lives and the lives of those around them, both behind and beyond bars.
= change. For all.
When volunteers and groups visit BTB, they read letters from incarcerated people. They see that incarcerated people want the same things they do: education, a job, and a good read. Many times, the simple act of connecting one-on-one with someone who’s incarcerated challenges stereotypes and changes minds. Volunteers see that people want to use their time while incarcerated to create a better life for themselves and their families when they are released. Volunteers and groups tell us, time and time again, that learning about the issues and sending a book package permanently changes how they view both incarcerated people and the prison system in this country.
We believe that mass incarceration is not only ineffective, but destructive. And we believe that the only way mass incarceration is going to stop is by getting everyone informed and involved, behind and beyond bars.
That’s why our work is essential. It’s why we do what we do. We hope you will join us.
Our dream is to put ourselves out of business.