Freedom Reads Opens 35 Freedom Libraries in New Jersey Prisons
New openings at South Woods State Prison and Middlesex County Juvenile Detention Center bring statewide total to more than 75 libraries opened in 2025.
Freedom Reads announced today the opening of 35 new Freedom Libraries in New Jersey—27 at South Woods State Prison and eight at the Middlesex County Juvenile Detention Center—marking a major expansion that brings the statewide total to more than 75 libraries opened in 2025. This growth reflects ongoing collaboration between Freedom Reads and correctional partners across the state to increase access to literature inside prisons and juvenile facilities.
Each Freedom Library, built by formerly incarcerated staff, includes a carefully curated collection of poetry, fiction, history, memoir, and more. Installed directly inside cellblocks, the libraries are designed to give incarcerated people immediate, daily access to books in environments where reading opportunities are often limited.
The team who delivered and opened the libraries included six formerly incarcerated men, whose presence reflects Freedom Reads’ commitment to creating opportunities for people directly impacted by incarceration. Their commitment to going back inside prisons provided an example of the possibilities that can follow incarceration and inspire hope for those in the prisons for different futures.
Freedom Reads founder and CEO Reginald Dwanye Betts noted that “We have a vision of putting a Freedom Library in every cellblock in every prison in the country. We’ve been to six facilities in New Jersey and we will come back!”
For many incarcerated people, the new libraries make room for reading, discovery, and connection—opportunities that can help strengthen their sense of possibility.
State leaders echoed the importance of expanding access to literature as part of a broader commitment to rehabilitation. “Access to literature is essential to creating the normative, dignified environments that foster true rehabilitation,” said Commissioner Victoria L. Kuhn, Esq. “By expanding Freedom Libraries to South Woods State Prison, we are ensuring that more individuals in our care have the tools they need to broaden their perspectives, unlock their potential, and prepare for a successful return to their communities.”