Canada’s federal inmates are losing access to books and libraries, making it harder for them to improve their literacy skills and prepare for reintegration into Canadian society according to a report by CBC journalist Laura Payton on Thursday (September 4).
Payton reports that a number of federal prisons “are cutting library hours and library staff or closing the facilities entirely”.
In the report Payton quotes Joan McEwen, a lawyer who has taught a creative writing class at the Matsqui Institution near Vancouver as saying reading is “a huge part of our development as human beings.”
“It’s a big part of how we become civilized and cultured, and what better thing to do in prison in your… downtime than read? It’s stimulating and you can have conversations with people, you learn about the world, you become more pro-social.”
Payton says part of the reason for cutbacks in libraries is “security concerns because of overcrowding.”
More information:
CBC News/Laura Payton – Library time and book access limited for federal prisoners, advocates say – here
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