A smuggled book changed his life. Now he’s built 500 prison libraries.
Reginald Dwayne Betts was locked up as a teenager for carjacking. Books were his escape, and he went on to be a poet, lawyer and founder of Freedom Reads.
How books — and bookshelves — are helping incarcerated people in Connecticut
In Connecticut, formerly incarcerated people are building bookshelves and filling them with books for donation to prisons. They say reading helped them get through their own sentences.
The freedom to read
There are about 1.8 million people in the U.S. in correctional facilities, including state and federal prisons, local jails, juvenile detention centers and immigration detention facilities, according to the Prison Policy Initiative.
People who build bookcases for prisons have their own story to tell
Inside a workshop in Hamden, Connecticut, Michael Byrd and a co-worker are standing at their workstations. They’re sanding thin slabs of wood — the first step in building a bookcase.
Five Summer Reads from the Freedom Library
As the end of summer rolls in and life settles into a slower rhythm, it’s a good time to pick up a new read. Whether you’re cooling off with an ice-cold drink or staying inside to escape the heat, a thoughtful read can be a perfect companion.
Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah has won the 2025 Inside Literary Prize.
At a ceremony on Thursday night, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s Chain-Gang All-Stars was awarded the second annual Inside Literary Prize, the first-ever US-based literary award to be judged by currently incarcerated people.
Winner of the 2025 Inside Literary Prize Revealed
Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah has won the 2025 Inside Literary Prize, an award judged by incarcerated readers, for his novel Chain-Gang All-Stars.
Inside prison walls, here's how a book program is changing lives
Accessing reading material in prisons is hard, but Freedom Reads co-founder Reginald Betts, a former inmate, went beyond books, creating libraries made by former prisoners.
Leer en la cárcel para entender y conectar: "Los libros cambian el clima de la prisión"
La organización Freedom Reads ha instalado 498 bibliotecas en 50 prisiones para jóvenes y adultos en todo EE.UU., que incluyen libros en español. "Esto abre tu mente y hace que quieras cambiar", dice una reclusa que forma parte de las actividades de lectura.
New ‘Freedom Libraries’ bring literature and hope to Ohio prisons
Freedom Reads opened 20 Freedom Libraries and brought the 2025 Inside Literary prize to two Ohio prisons.
Poet Reginald Dwayne Betts celebrates Juneteenth, second annual Inside Literary Prize
Freedom Reads Founder & CEO Reginald Dwayne Betts speaks with NY1's Annika Pergament about Juneteenth, Freedom Libraries, and the Inside Literary Prize.
Hand-crafted bookcases are filling prisons. They’re made in CT by formerly incarcerated workers
The Freedom Reads team shares what it means to return to prisons where they served time with beautiful, handcrafted bookcases and literature.