stand, and unfold yourself!

The problem with the public discussion about libraries in prison is that it’s the wrong discussion. For over a century now, the debate has centered on reading — on which books should, or more often should not, be included on the prison library’s shelves; which books are “harmful” or “helpful”; whether reading is a privilege or a right. […] But the issue of reading is only one dimension of the question, and not necessarily the salient one. The crucial point of a prison library may not be its book catalog: The point is that it is a library.

since i give a lot of thought to the shakespeare behind bars project here in kentucky and its effect on the inmates involved, i was interested to read about this other project that seems to make a difference in the kind of lives that inmates build once they’re back on the outside.

(via the-feature)