Books Through Bars

Books Through Bars is an American organization that works to provide quality reading material to prisoners in Pennsylvania and surrounding states. New Society Publishers of Philadelphia founded Books Through Bars in 1990.[4] Books Through Bars was separately incorporated as a nonprofit organization on March 19, 2001.[5] There are approximately 30 similar, but unaffiliated, organizations throughout the United States.

Books Through Bars
Founded1990 (1990)
FounderNew Society Publishers
23-2841845[1]
Legal status501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
HeadquartersPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
ServicesDistributes free books and educational materials to incarcerated people in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, and West Virginia.[2]
President
Brielle Talarico[3]
Revenue (2016)
$53,129[3]
Expenses (2016)$48,925[3]
Websitewww.booksthroughbars.org

Because prisoners in American prisons are not able to receive books from sources other than recognized publishers, bookstores, or other legitimate distributors, those without the financial resources to buy books have very limited access to them. Prison libraries are not being funded, in part because reading material is widely seen as irrelevant to a "mostly uneducated and indeed largely illiterate prison population".[6] New Society Publishers began its program after it began receiving letters from indigent prisoners, and provides donated books to individual prisoners, prison libraries, and halfway houses.[7] The organization distributes several hundred packages per month. It also sponsors regular public events relating to issues such as human rights, the war on drugs, and prison reform.

Books Through Bars is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization,[1] formally organized as a collective and run by nine core members plus about twenty volunteers, and it is supported by grants from charitable organizations.[4] Books Through Bars is entirely run and operated by unpaid volunteers.[3]

References
  1. "Books Through Bars". Exempt Organizations Select Check. Internal Revenue Service. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  2. "Our work changes hearts, minds and lives". Books Through Bars. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  4. "History". Books Through Bars. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  5. "Books Through Bars: Entity Number 2994731". Business Entity Details. Pennsylvania Department of State. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  6. Scalia, Antonin. "Lewis v. Casey (94-1511), 516 U.S. 804 (1996)". Legal Information Institute. School of Law, Cornell University. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  7. "Donating Books". Books Through Bars. Retrieved 30 June 2014. Dropping off books... Book condition... Books we need most... Books we don’t need
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