Sample Requests from Inmates
From inmates requesting a dictionary:
“My cell mate is learning English. A Spanish-English dictionary and a standard dictionary would be invaluable (to both of us) as we work together to prepare for our high school equivalency exam.”
“ I am a bad speller and am just trying to read now after 30 years. A dictionari will help me learn to spell more better.”
From inmates requesting reading materials:
“I am an indigent prisoner with no funds. I rarely receive mail and my family has lost touch after 16 long years in here. The books help me read and spell.”
“I’m just exhausted with this life and want to get on the right track. I’m finally reading!”
“I have a life sentence and your books are the only mail I get after 28 years. I really thank you and thank God there is someone out there who thinks of me.”
“I am a Buddhist but cannot find many spiritual books written for fellow Buddhists. Thank you for sending me great Buddhist materials! i value them so much!”
“There are over a 1000 men who use our small library. It is very hard to find anything to read. I always pass the books on to other inmates. Your program makes all the difference here.”
From an inmate requesting gay literature:
"I am in prison in AR and I am gay. It is difficult to be openly gay and it makes a tough situation worse. You sent me a valuable book on personal development and it has helped me so much. It’s helped me deal better with the other inmates and staff too. Thank you.”
From an inmate in administrative segregation:
“I’ve been in ad-seg for 11 1/2 years. The books you send me help keep me sane with so much time alone.”
From an inmate requesting large-print books:
“My eyes are very bad. I love to read and it helps me so much, but I need large print books now and there aren’t any here. My eyes are very, very bad. The books you sent mean so much to me! I will pass them to other inmates with problems with their eyes.”
FACTS on prisons and prisoners you should know:
- As of June 2006, there were 2,245,189 prisoners held in Federal or State prisons or in local jails. That is approximately 497 inmates per 100,000 U.S. residents
- Women are the fastest growing prison population in the United States, increasing over 500% since 1970. There were 111,403 women prisoners as of June 2006.
- There were more than 1,250,000 women in prison or jail, or on parole or probation in the US, year end 2005.
- As of January 1, 2009 there were 3,297 death row prisoners. Of those prisoners, 45% were white, 42% were black, 11% were Latino/a, 1% were Native American, 1% were Asian. 58 of those prisoners were women.
- African-Americans represent 12.9% of the total U.S. population, but 39.5% of the U.S. prison population. Roughly two thirds of female inmates in jails and state and federal prisons are women of color.
- As of January 2007, nearly 80% of women and more than 91% of men in prison for drug offense were African American or Latina, even though studies show that Caucasians use, sell, and buy drugs in greater numbers than people of color.
- Since 1973, the number of women in prison for drug crimes has increased by 825%
Running in Place: A Year in the Life of a Prisoner
L. Lambert Lawson
Buy this e-book and 1/2 the proceeds support the Prison Library Project
Click Here: http://amzn.com/B0054S8ZP0