Abstract
Abstract In 2014 a digitization plan of the Dutch Ministry of Security and Justice was leaked. One of the plans mentioned was the closing of physical prison libraries. The media attention and criticism that this plan received raised questions about a normally invisible institution: the Dutch prison library. In this article we will see that prerequisites for the official foundation of the prison library in 1841 were the upswing of the prison sentence, the growing involvement in the spiritual faith of detainees and the growth of the book market and a literate audience. At first the libraries had an educational function only, but towards the end of the twentieth century they became more all-encompassing. Thanks to the arrival of librarians they also became more professional. Interviews with prison librarians show that the prison library nowadays has several functions: recreational, educational, informative and social. Digitization will be to the detriment of the rich experience that the physical prison library offers.
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