Prison Libraries Research Articles

Means of communication and socio-legal aspects of interaction between subjects of religious-penitentiary space: the case of Muslims

The Constitutional and Legal Institute of Religious Freedom in the Penitentiary System is subordinated to and regulated by the rules established by the Federal Executive Body exercising law enforcement functions in the fi eld of execution of sentences (FSIN of Russia). Finding themselves isolated from society, ethnic and practising Muslims, sentenced to imprisonment, feel forced restrictions on the religious freedom. The time and place of Muslims who perform religious rites and rituals are regulated by the documents issued by the Ministry of Justice of Russia were outlined the internal regulations for correctional institutions. The state is entrusted with the duty to provide in prisons a special environment, which would enable the spiritual nourishment of Muslims, whose rights to freedom of religious life are supported by centralized Islamic religious organizations. The civil institutions exercise public control over this implementation. At the same time, the Russian State is increasingly interested in interacting with the main subjects of the religious and penitentiary space. Among them there are offi cial structures of the Islamic Ummah, sending educated imams and Islamic theologians for religious service in prisons, representatives of the Islamic expert community, also there are Public Councils on the problems of the penitentiary system under the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia. The present author considers the activities of Muslim spiritual departments to provide prison libraries with religious literature (the Holy Quran and semantic translations, the Hadith of Prophet Muhammad, His biography, books on Islamic law) as well as the best examples of religious literature, which manifest the traditional values of Russian Islam and the imperatives of a positive socio-cultural environment to be the signifi cant means of communication in the religious-penitentiary environment.

Information needs and behaviour of incarcerated persons in Croatia: findings from a national quantitative study

This paper examines the information behaviour and information needs of incarcerated persons in Croatian correctional facilities. A total of 620 printed questionnaires were mailed to six Croatian penitentiaries and administered to prisoners who were serving a long-term period sentence. Sample included both male and female prisoners with the response rate of 81%. The data was analysed with the help of statistical software SPSS. Almost all incarcerated persons that participated in this study have a greater need for information while in prison than they had before incarceration. The largest majority of respondents require information about the life in penitentiary, information about their family members and friends, and information about life-after-prison. In most cases, respondents seek required information from their family members and friends. Very rarely are their varied educational, informational, legal and recreational needs met by a prison library. The findings indicate that about a third of respondents revealed that their current information needs were not met and that Croatian prison libraries are unequipped to meet information needs of incarcerated persons. In order to change present situation, better cooperation between Croatian Library Association and Croatian prison administration is needed.

Lineamientos para el desarrollo de fondos en bibliotecas penitenciarias: un estudio en la Biblioteca Penitenciaria de Florianópolis

As bibliotecas prisionais são unidades que disponibilizam à s pessoas que estão em situação de privação de liberdade o acesso à informação, incentivo à leitura, democratização da informação, efetivação dos Direitos Humanos. É um espaço sociocultural e educativo, de autonomia e resistência. Neste sentido, o objetivo desta pesquisa foi analisar a constituição do acervo da Biblioteca da Penitenciária de Florianópolis, apresentando os dados obtidos para pesquisa da dissertação intitulada “A constituição do acervo da Biblioteca da Penitenciária de Florianópolis. O universo desta pesquisa é a Biblioteca da Penitenciária de Florianópolis, vinculada ao Complexo Penitenciário de Florianópolis. No que diz respeito aos procedimentos metodológicos, realizou-se uma visita in loco no segundo semestre de 2019. Foram utilizados três formulários apresentados por meio de google forms para coletar os dados referentes a proveniência das obras que compõem essa coleção e os critérios de seleção do acervo. Como resultado deste trabalho, foram apresentadas diretrizes para desenvolvimento de coleção para biblioteca prisional baseada na Biblioteca do Complexo de Florianópolis.

خدمات مکتبات السجون ودورها في تثقيف وإعادة تأهيل نزلاء المؤسسات الإصلاحية

هدفت الدراسة النظرية إلى التعرف على الخدمات المکتبية التي توفرها مکتبات السجون، ودورها في إعادة تأهيل نزلاء المؤسسات الإصلاحية. واعتمدت الدراسة اعتمادا رئيسيا على المنهج الوثائقي للتنظير في المصادر العربية والأجنبية المتوافرة في هذا المجال، لتحقيق هدف الدراسة في إطار منهجي نظري عن مکتبات السجون حول العالم والتعرف على أهم الخدمات والمصادر التي يجب توافرها لتثقيف وإعادة تأهيل رواد هذا النوع من المکتبات. تناقش الدراسة مدى المساهمة الفعالة لخدمات مکتبات السجون في تثقيف وتأهيل السجناء، وما المصادر التي يجب توافرها في مکتبات السجون لخدمة المستفيدين من نزلاء المؤسسات الإصلاحية. وقد خلصت الدراسة إلى عدد من المقترحات والتوصيات التي يمکن للمسؤولين عن مکتبات السجون في دولة الکويت والدول العربية المجاورة والتي تسمح سياساتها الحکومية بوجود مکتبات في السجون، مع الأخذ بالمعايير الدولية واعتماد خدمات فعالة في تثقيف وإعادة تأهيل نزلاء المؤسسات الإصلاحية. The theoretical study aimed at identifying the services provided by prison libraries and their role in the rehabilitation of the inmates of correctional institutions. The study relies mainly on the documentary approach to theorization in Arabic and foreign sources available in this field in order to achieve the objective of the study within a theoretical framework about prison libraries around the world and identify the most important services and rsources that should be made available to educate and rehabilitate the people who frequent this type of libraries. The study discusses the effective contribution of the services provided by prison libraries to the education and rehabilitation of prisoners, and the sources that should be made available at prison libraries to serve the inmates of correctional institutions. The study camne up with some suggestions and recommendations that will be benefitional to the officials in charge of prison libraries in the State of Kuwait and neighboring Arab countries whose governmental policies sanction the presence of libraries in prisons, taking international standards into account, and putting in place effective services to educate and rehabilitate the inmates of correctional institutions.

Lezen achter de tralies

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.

Descolonizando a Justiça, Democratizando a Informação:

It investigates possibilities of the librarian's performance in prison libraries with regard to carrying out educational-cultural-informational activities, in order to guarantee the re-socialization of the inmates. It lists as problematic: How can prison libraries contribute to the search for social transformation of prisoners? What is the role of the librarian in this transformation? It aims to reflect on the assumptions of Social Librarianship and the social role of the librarian with regard to their performance in prison libraries, highlighting the purpose of the prison system in re-socializing the inmates, instigating them to a different future vision than the one already experienced. It is characterized by being an exploratory research with a qualitative approach, delimiting itself as bibliographic and documentary, and as for the method of data collection, document analysis was used. Stresses the importance of the social role of the librarian in seeking to create opportunities that guarantee basic human rights as a form of inclusion. He concludes by emphasizing the library as an equipment to promote and guarantee basic human rights such as access to education, culture and information.

Prison libraries serving the ‘whole person’: A qualitative study

Incarceration is a traumatic life experience for both convicted and non-convicted individuals and life in prison is not easy to get through. However, prison administrations often establish different avenues for the prisoners to help them navigate through their incarceration. One such avenue is prison libraries. This study explores the influence of the prison library in the lives of eight incarcerated individuals, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. The study is based on the concept of the ‘whole person librarianship’ while using a phenomenological approach. The analysis resulted in the emergence of three broad themes: ‘Coming to term with incarceration’, ‘Library, a ray of hope’ and ‘Reinventing self through books’. The study expands our understanding of how the prison library can be a place that reduces stress and increases positive mental health by serving the ‘whole person’. Furthermore, it reduces stress and anxiety related to the state of liminality created by incarceration and gives inmates a purpose beyond prison. Thus, it helps them in making meaning of their situation, being mindful of themselves and their surroundings, healing them in the process, and supports their well-being. The findings suggest that books help the inmates to navigate their lives during incarceration.

The thinking of graduates in Librarianship about the contribution of the Course in their preparation for working in a prison library

Bibliotecas prisionais têm público vindo de camadas sociais diversas, necessitando de serviços bibliotecários apropriados. O bibliotecário que nelas trabalhará precisa conhecer sobre tecnologia social e realizar bons estágios. Diante disso, a escola de Biblioteconomia deve atentar para que seu egresso perceba que assimilou a preparação básica suficiente para ali atuar. A percepção desses egressos sobre sua preparação para atuar em biblioteca prisional é o objeto do estudo. A pesquisa teve como base teórica o interacionismo ou fenomenologia social, o figuracionismo e a Teoria das Representações Sociais. O estudo foi exploratório e qualitativo, e envolveu concluintes do Curso de Biblioteconomia da UFSC como entrevistados. Seus discursos foram tratados com o instrumental da Técnica do Discurso do Sujeito Coletivo (DSC). No discurso final os estudantes percebem defasagem no conteúdo formativo referente à biblioteca prisional.

News, Programs, Publications, and Awards

News, Programs, Publications, and Awards

A Different Kind of Labor: Writing in Prison

A Different Kind of Labor: Writing in Prison Ryan M. Moser “It’s never too late to become who you might have been.” —quote on a prison library wall The Writers Guild We called ourselves the Writers Guild: three raconteurs brought together by a creative writing workshop and our mutual passion for words. There were others in the class, but none as dedicated as us. Brad was quixotic, always stretching his vocabulary to defend the relationship with the soul; Ethan was my sounding board and a master of the metaphor, layering image upon image to deliver his messages of hope or loss; and I was the storyteller. Between us, we’d won the monthly short story contest six times in a row, besting our fellow classmates over and over with our collaborations. The workshop met once a week in an old classroom by the chow hall, and after returning to our cellblock, the three of us would sit in the noisy TV room at a small table comparing notes, establishing outlines, developing characters, and revising our work until it sparkled like a polished diamond. Some months, we would labor on just one story, toiling away by the faint night light in the cellblock hall or whispering comments back and forth; other months, we’d each write our own and pick the best to submit—a friendly competition within a competition. Trying to find a quiet place to study or write in a state correctional institution is difficult on most days, and impossible on some. We were lucky to have a space to meet at all. The Florida Department of Corrections has stabbings and drug overdoses almost every day, and these emergencies result in lockdowns with no movement to classes or programs. Everybody knows that when you see a wheelchair and two medical orderlies running down the sidewalk, or the Emergency Response Team (aka the goon squad) taking pictures of a crime scene, we’re about [End Page 85] to be sitting on our bunks or confined to our units for an indefinite amount of time. Violence is prevalent at many institutions in the state, so programs, volunteers, educational and technical training, and recreation time are scarce. With officers pulled in so many directions to address major problems, everything else stops. “What are you writing?” I would hear all day long from each passerby. Imagine sitting in Starbucks with every customer who walks past your table asking you a question about your work, even though you are wearing headphones. There were also constant interruptions for head counts, chow, and the daily fist fights that are a part of our struggle, but we were assiduous and produced some gratifying literary work. One month in 2018 I wrote an ekphrastic short story called “The Farmer’s Pond,” an autobiographical piece inspired by a photo of a young farmhand in a book about Amish life. The Writers Guild refined the plot and edited for grammar. We revised scenes on the weekends while everyone else played Texas Hold ’Em, watched football, or got inked with gang tattoos. Eventually, I was able to complete a final draft that everyone considered my best piece yet, and I basked in the glow of having finished my first quality short story. “This one has some real potential,” Ethan told me as we talked over lunch. “You should send it out to magazines.” I balked. I didn’t want to submit my writing to serious places because I knew I wasn’t as good as the other authors I’d read throughout my life, floating across the thought clouds of the sage guides before me— Franzen, Homer, and Burroughs. Basho and Keats. Hirshfield. The immortalized Jung. Self-doubt prevents me from even trying. But when my story won the monthly writing contest, I decided to take a chance. I mailed copies to several literary journals listed in my Writer’s Digest and felt like I’d taken a step toward something credible. The Writers Guild was my personal dream team, but the creative writing class was my favorite time of the week: it was my first formal workshop, and a glimpse into the possibilities of collaborative creativity...

Status and Conditions of Prison Libraries in India

Status and Conditions of Prison Libraries in India

Books beyond bars: The transformative potential of prison libraries

Books beyond bars: The transformative potential of prison libraries

Sujeitos em privação de liberdade pela ótica da Ciência da Informação

Apresenta resultados de pesquisa cujo objetivo foi identificar, por meio da revisão integrativa, como a temática dos sujeitos em privação de liberdade está inserida nos estudos da Ciência da Informação, considerando a complexidade da realidade carcerária, e a importância da ciência para a compreensão dos fenômenos sociais desta natureza. A metodologia de análise foi a revisão integrativa, seguindo seis etapas estabelecidas: identificação do tema e seleção da questão de pesquisa; estabelecimento de critérios de inclusão e exclusão; identificação dos estudos pré-selecionados e selecionados; categorização dos estudos selecionados; análise e interpretação dos resultados; e apresentação da revisão/síntese do conhecimento. Realizou-se ainda um levantamento bibliográfico em duas bases de dados: Base de Dados Referenciais de Artigos de Periódicos em Ciência da Informação (Brapci) e Library & Information Science Abstracts (Lisa). A análise foi definida a partir de duas categorias, questões de aspectos gerais e questões de aspectos temáticos - essa última foi analisada por meio do software livre de análise qualitativa Iramuteq. Os resultados demonstram que na Brapci não há praticamente literatura referente à temática, a maior parte dos artigos foram recuperados na Lisa. Concluímos que a temática a nível internacional já é discutida a longo prazo e que a biblioteca prisional é uma abordagem recorrente. Desse tema, derivam outros como: análise dos serviços de referência nas prisões, estudo das necessidades de informação, estudo do comportamento informacional e implementação de projetos no cárcere, revelando a diversidade de abordagens.

Availability and Use of Library Resources in the Rehabilitation of Inmates in Correctional Centers in Imo and Abia States, Nigeria

The study examined the availability and use of library resources in the rehabilitation of inmates in correctional centers in Imo and Abia states,Nigeria. The study adopted a survey research design using three research questions and three hypotheses. The population of the study comprised 3,854 prisoners from the five prisons in Imo and Abia States, Nigeria. The sample size used was 713 prisoners. Purposive and proportionate random sampling techniques were used. Instruments for the study included: a checklist and a rating scale namely: Availability of Library Resources Checklist (ALRC) and Extent of Use of Library Resources Scale (EULRS). The instruments were validated and found reliable with index of 0.88 for EULRS using Cronbach Alpha Statistic. The research questions were answered using frequency count, proportion, mean and standard deviation while the hypotheses were tested using t-test. The findings were that Owerri and Umuahia correctional centers only have two librarians each in their respective libraries. This implies that the librarians in prison libraries are not adequate. It was also revealed that a good number of resources like fiction books, textbooks, magazines, chairs and lightings were available but some materials like newspapers, newspaper racks, audio cassettes, video tapes, DVD, library software were not found at all but the ones found were utilized to a high extent. Based on these findings, the study recommended among others that the Federal Government should employ more librarians to the correctional services centers in Imo and Abia states so as to reduce job stress and bring information closer to the inmates.
 Keywords: Library Resources, Inmates, Correctional Centers, Rehabilitation

Evaluating Impact in the Forgotten Field of Prison Librarianship

ABSTRACT For decades, a number of prison librarians and researchers have decried the near-total lack of data in their field regarding the impact of prison libraries on incarcerated individuals. In spite of their critiques, the majority of prison library literature remains descriptive in nature and relies more on speculation than empirical claims when describing impact. This paper attempts to identify the main reasons why it is so difficult to adequately evaluate the impact of prison library services. Following an exploration of these issues, suggestions for strengthening impact evaluation in prison libraries are proposed.

Experiencing time in prison: the influence of books, libraries and reading

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to explore the influence of books, libraries and reading on the experience of time within the prison environment.Design/methodology/approachUsing semi-structured interviews with Australian adult prisoners, and a phenomenological data analysis method, the researcher has been able to identify lived experiences that explain how books, libraries and reading influence the experience of time, within a prison environment.FindingsPrisoners' experience of time differs from the experience of time outside prison. Unlike readers and library users outside prison, prisoners are motivated to use books, libraries and reading to pass time. They are using books, libraries and reading to assist in their struggle to manage the negative effects of excessive quantities of unstructured time.Research limitations/implicationsResearch regarding the motivation to read and use libraries in the general population does not identify the desire to pass time as a factor. In contrast, the current study identifies readers and library users in prisons are strongly motivated to read and visit libraries as a means of passing time. This study adds a new understanding of the motivation to read and visit libraries within prison environments and provides insight into the beneficial influence of prison libraries on prisoner wellbeing.Originality/valueThis research contributes valuable new knowledge regarding the experience of time in prison, and the influence of books, libraries and reading on this experience.

Information behaviour of prison inmates in Malawi

The study examined the information behaviour of Mzimba prison inmates focusing on the research themes which are information needs, sources of information, and the barriers to seeking and using information of Mzimba prison inmates. A qualitative approach was used coupled with a case study design. Data were collected through focus group discussions and interviews from 12 inmates and two prison teaching staff respectively. The study found that health information, education information and spiritual information are the major information needs of Mzimba prison inmates. The study also found that the majority of respondents agreed that the six popular sources of information are their friends, teachers, radio, television, books and newspapers. However, the study concludes that Mzimba prison (library) fails to fulfil its role as a source of information and in meeting the information needs of inmates due to challenges of lack of information resources, limited time available for inmates to search for information, poor services and lack of funding for the school and library. The study recommends that the Malawi Prison Service should engage some stakeholders such as the Malawi National Library Services, National Initiative for Civic Education and Mzuzu University Library and Learning Resources Centre to support prison libraries with the provision of information resources to meet the information needs of inmates. The study further recommends that the Malawi Prison Service Command should lobby for financial support in order to hire qualified and capable librarians and teachers to manage prison libraries and schools.

Behind the wall: service challenges at a prison library

This article examines the challenges of providing library services to incarcerated men at the State Correctional Institution Benner Township in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. Most challenges stem from sustaining an inmate’s right of access to the courts, operating without the technology found in most public libraries, and dealing with censorship.

“Almost like Freedom”: Prison Libraries and Reading as Facilitators of Escape

AbstractEscaping into a book is an experience valued by readers everywhere. Inhabiting the stories, being exposed to the knowledge we find in books, and being in the libraries that provide us acces...

Whatdoesfreemean?

whatdoesfreemean? Catherine Filloux (bio) Cast of Characters Mary, a black woman Ann / c.o.1 / c.o.2 / c.o.3 / Air-Duct Voice / Lincoln / Merton / Miss Pierotti / Mom / Mouse / Nick / Parole Board Director / Shanna / The Floater. Roles are divided among five actors. Setting Time is fluid; locales are suggested. one: nick’s dream A silhouette of Lincoln reaches out to sign a paper. mary [emerging from a forest] I tried to run away. lincoln Now therefore I, Abraham Lincoln... mary Hid in the forest . . . lincoln . . . do order and declare... mary . . . in the big pine trees. lincoln ... this proclamation . . . mary At night runnin’ North. lincoln . . . that all persons held as slaves are henceforward . . . mary But my legs gave up. And Massa caught me. lincoln . . . free forever. mary Shackled me, scars on my wrists, and on my back where I can’t see ’em. lincoln In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand. [exits] mary [no longer in the forest] A free moment in the sun . . . ? Emancipation? A video projection reveals that the ground has pennies scattered all over it; the dream is over. [End Page 37] two: general population mary [in the prison library with her friend Ann; c.o.2 watches as Mary reads from a test booklet] “Based on the 1945 map of Colonialism in Africa, the two groups holdin’ the most control at this time were—” ann [coughing intermittently throughout the scene] The White Man and the White Man. mary Ha-ha, no. “A. The Spanish and French. B. French and British. C. British and Portuguese. D. Portuguese and Italians.” ann Okay, the Italians, the Mob. mary The Mob? ann If it’s not the White Man, it’s the Mob. mary But what about the Portuguese? ann Not sure—I suck at this . . . mary They’re clumped together, Ann. Remember our colored map? ann The blue and red had the most sections covered. mary Right! ann Shit, I can’t remember what the blue and red stood for. mary Okay, what makes you think of the French? ann I don’t know, what makes you think of the French? Toast? mary [sketching a map] Here on the map is French Toast. ann I’m toast. mary Come on, what makes you think of the British? ann Fuck. The Queen? mary Here’s the Fuckin’ Queen. [handing her the drawing] Just do whatever you need to remember. ann Okay, now you. “Greek mythology uses characters to teach; and characters face moral dilemmas involving honor. The protagonists face challenges such as temptation—” mary [sketching to help herself remember] Can you slow down? ann “How has mythology evolved with new storytellers? Scholars maintain universal values, while adapting stories to their distinct cultures. It’s up to readers to seek their own truth—learn. According to the author, which is a message from Greek mythology?” mary Oh no. [End Page 38] ann It’s easy. “A. Love lasts if lovers are meant to be together. B. Resisting temptation yields ultimate success. C. Keep track of personal history. D. Not the fastest, but the longest, wins the race.” mary This is CRAZY. ann “Just do whatever you need to remember.” mary I get nervous even thinkin’ about it. ann It’s obvious—want me to read it again? mary JUST GIVE ME A CLUE. ann [singing a song by The Temptations] “I’ve got sunshine on a cloudy day. . .” mary [looking at notes] “Resistin’ temptation yields ultimate success.” ann It’s like a secret code. Teach, moral, honor, they even use the word temptation. This doesn’t have anything to do with the Greeks, has to do with the author—the ones writing the test. And they’re writing it in code—you gotta crack the code. mary Then why can’t YOU crack the code of Colonialism? ann I don’t remember pictures, just words. [they sit in silence; Ann writes] mary [sketching] Wanted to ask for so long . . . didn’t know how. . . Why didn’t you get manslaughter? [they don’t look at each other] ann No, no, no! mary He used you as his punchin’ bag. ann [changing the subject] I’m never going to pass this...