The Prison Book Program has been supplying individuals and groups of prisoners with quality reading material since 1972. We believe that literacy and access to reading materials are crucial for the personal, spiritual and political development of all people. With 2 million people locked up in our nation’s federal and state prisons and local jails, and with educational programming being drastically cut, the need for our services has never been greater. Education is the only tool proven to help prevent people from returning to prison again and again. Click here to read one prisoner's explanation of why it is important to send books to prisoners.