We are college students, we are retired people and we are everyone in between. We cannot imagine a world without books.
Not having access to books is cruel and unusual punishment.
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"To understand the humanity of a society, look to their prisons. Dotoevsky
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Books are crucial to the political, spiritual and educational development of all people. Disadvantage has shackled the lives of nearly all of the over 2 million people currently in our nation’s “Corrections” system. Perhaps the advantage of learning can and will make an important difference between “doing time” and doing something dynamic with their time.
Prison educational programs have been drastically cut and most prisoners cannot afford to buy their own books. Most prisons do not allow family and friends to send books into prisons; they must come from a bookstore or publisher. That's where we step in to help. Education is a powerful tool that greatly reduces the chances of inmates returning to the prison system after their release.
2 MILLION AMERICANS ARE BEHIND BARSMOST ARE NON VIOLENT CRIMINALS80% ARE PARENTS The current mood within our penile system perpetuates punishment -- period. Rehabilitation has evolved into a foreign concept. We sit in front of our TV screens buying into the “tough on crime” proclamations and gaping in wonderment at 97% conviction rates. But what have any of us done to truly diminish crime or pave the way toward reducing recidivism? Throwing our hands up serves only to contribute to perpetuating a cycle of infringement and incarceration. “Lock ‘em up and throw away the key;” the mantra of many. And yet, over 70% of incarcerated Americans are guilty of non-violent crimes. Untold numbers have been demonized and thrown behind bars for wrongful accusations. “The land of the free“ has developed into a nation which represents 25% of the world‘s estimated nine-million-plus prisoners, even though the U.S. represents only about five percent of the world’s population. Our goal is to fight back; one inmate at a time, one book at a time, one caring gesture at a time.
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Providence Books Through Bars is a grass roots, non-profit
prison book program established in 2003. We receive requests from
inmates for reading materials. We then fill the orders from our library
of donated books and ship them. Most of our costs are for postage and
most of our funding comes from individual contributions and fundraising.
Sending books to prisoners:
- Combats recidivism thru literacy and education
- Provides a “escape” from demoralizing
conditions
- Maintains contact with the "outside world."
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