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• Prison Reading Groups

‘Literature gives you ideas to think with. It stocks your mind.’
John Carey, What Good Are the Arts?

Our aims are to promote the spread of reading groups in prisons, and to provide training and advice to those who run them. We also conduct research into prison reading groups and what they offer to those who join and take part in them.

What prisoners say:

• 'I like the chance for civilised socialising. '
• 'It’s good to talk with other readers about books I normally wouldn’t have read.'

A prison librarian on her reading group:

‘The men say that it’s not just about reading. It’s a place where they can forget about being in prison and we can chat like ordinary people with a common interest. Books are great for exploring sensitive issues and for learning about life.’