Lighting the Way
Randall Horton, Co-Founder of Radical Reversal, and Reginald Dwayne Betts, Founder of Freedom Reads, discuss their work, censorship, and access to literature in prisons.
Three Yalies honored with Alumni Association Public Service Awards for community impact
Reginald Dwayne Betts, Freedom Reads Founder & CEO, received the Yale Alumni Association Public Service Award along with two other alums.
How Two Social Innovation Interns Made Their Mark at Freedom Reads, a Startup Nonprofit
Yale students and social innovation interns Meara and Ana reflect on their internship experience at Freedom Reads.
Morgan Stanley and the Centri Tech Foundation Announce Winners of the 2023 Social Justice Innovation Awards
Freedom Reads Founder & CEO Reginald Dwayne Betts received Morgan Stanley and Centri Tech Foundation’s 2023 Social Justice Innovation Award, recognizing innovative approaches to complex societal issues.
“I Always Wanted to Be a Witness”: Dwayne Betts on House of Unending
Reginald Dwayne Betts, Freedom Reads Founder & CEO, discusses his new album of poems, House of Unending, and the loneliness associated with incarceration.
Longform Episode 549: Reginald Dwayne Betts
The Longform podcast chats with Freedom Reads Founder & CEO Reginald Dwayne Betts about his time inside, poetry and writing, and the origin of Freedom Reads.
Good Writing in a Bad Place: How One Incarcerated Writer Feeds His Craft
Robert Lee Williams recounts his journey at Sullivan Correctional Facility to hone his literary craft by reconstructing his own Freedom Library.
Reading Dostoevsky Behind Bars
Steven D. Levitt, co-author of Freakonomics, interviews Freedom Reads Founder & CEO Reginald Dwayne Betts about life and why he believes hope can be found in a bookcase.
The Nonprofit Building High-Design Libraries in Prisons
A look at the hand-crafted, curved design of Freedom Libraries and what the design decisions mean to those inside.
Formerly incarcerated people have become major voices for reforming a broken criminal justice system
Callie Crossley reports on the efforts of formerly incarcerated individuals to spearhead the movement for prison reform in the U.S.
How this MacArthur genius is turning empty prison cells into redesigned libraries
A vignette of how Freedom Libraries are intentionally designed and crafted to bring not just books but beauty into the constrained environment of a correctional facility.
With 'Freedom Libraries,' teens in Baltimore's youth detention center now have their pick of books
Teens in Baltimore’s youth detention center receive a Freedom Library and reflect on what they’re reading, the power of books, and their hopes for the future.