Prison Book Program, Part I: Books, Connection, and Community

by Katie Vhay
May 20, 2019

The basement of the First Parish Church in Quincy Center, on a typical Tuesday evening, is quietly bustling with diligent volunteers. It’s the home of the Prison Book Program, a volunteer-run nonprofit that has been mailing free books to people in prison since 1972. Dozens of volunteers are reading letters from prisoners, sorting and shelving donated books, selecting books for individuals, and preparing packages for mailing. The Prison Book Program receives several hundred letters every week, and last year it sent more than 11,000 packages, containing 30,000 books, to people in prison in 44 states. 

The Prison Book Program is the oldest books-to-prisoners group in the US, part of an international movement of prison literacy organizations that includes more than 30 groups in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. This year, the Prison Book Program received a grant from the Vireo Foundation to host a Books to Prisoners Conference right here in Boston. For three days in early April, participants attended panels and discussions, and left brimming with enthusiasm and ideas.  

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