A young man’s defiance of a book ban in solitary confinement changed his life, and after his release, he vowed to create prison libraries across the U.S.

At the age of 16, Reginald Dwayne Betts carjacked a man sleeping in his car in Fairfax County, Virginia. Convicted in adult court, Betts spent about 10 years in prison, part of it in solitary confinement.

The Virginia prison where Betts served his time did not allow people in solitary confinement to possess books. In response, prisoners created a hoisting system to smuggle books into solitary, according to The Washington Post.

Disobeying the rules, Betts began reading anything he could get, sparking transformative thinking about other ways to live his life. Ultimately, he created the program Freedom Reads that resulted in the creation of 500 prison libraries throughout the U.S.

“If a person did not have a book while in isolation, they would live in silence, which would be a killer,” said San Quentin resident Steven Starr. “The mind would slowly begin to decay. You would become lost for words and your mind would freeze.” 

A person who sits idly without reading will not reflect, but they would contemplate, said SQ resident and library worker Dante Knight.

Knight advised those who are in isolation without literature to write to a non-profit organization and explain their conditions in order to advocate for themselves.

After his release from prison, Betts earned a law degree from Yale School of Law, eventually becoming an advocate fighting for prison reform.

“We put millions of people in prison,” Betts said. “I want to put millions of books in prisons.”

Books propose possibilities and imagination, rather than just being a comfort or distraction; reading cultivates empathy by letting people put themselves in someone else’s shoes, according to the article.

A fan of Sci-Fi and fantasy novels, SQ resident library worker Mesro Coles El said his favorite book is “Starman Jones” by Robert A. Heinlein. The book is about a guy who wanted to be an astrogator, a person who uses the stars to navigate.

Coles El said the book’s character came from a diverse background that included poverty and abuse, not like many incarcerated pepople. One day, the book’s character stowed away on a ship that ended up getting lost in space. Using his navigation skills, he guided the ship back home.

“No matter who you are or what you are doing, you can achieve your dreams,” Coles El said.

The Freedom Reads program that Betts created has received positive feedback from those impacted by having access to books while in prison.

Formerly incarcerated James Davis III remembers that in 2022 a Freedom Reads library came to his unit at the Cheshire Correctional Institution in Connecticut.

Davis began frequenting the prison library and engaging in book clubs. He and other incarcerated men would spend 60 minutes reading and discussing what they learned.

“Every book is like a classroom,” Davis said. “How to communicate and how to relate to people, how to treat people, all these things are played out in books.”

Davis received a commutation, and after release from prison, he sought employment, he noticed that Freedom Reads was hiring, and applied for a job.

He went to work for the non-profit as a Communications Associate, which for him was a dream come true, said the article.

San Quentin staff librarian Charlotte Sanders has contributed 20 years of public library service. She said that a person could find rehabilitation in reading.

“I would go crazy if I did not have a book to read,” Sanders said.

The Freedom Reads program received a MacArthur “genius grant” for their nonprofit work. They have a vision to set up libraries in correctional facilities throughout the United States. 

Freedom Reads started in 2020 and finds its funding through donations, partnerships, and grants, including the Mellon Foundation and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

The program is moving toward opening 35 libraries in men and women’s facilities in Missouri. Each library will have 500 books and low bookcases that allow easy access. The idea is to encourage the community to engage in conversations around books.

Freedom Reads opened its 500th library at the York Correctional Institution, Connecticut’s prison for women. At the opening, Betts read a book titled “Doggerel.” All the women who attended the event received a copy of the book.

“It [reading] changed the way I interact with the world and the way the world has interacted with me,” Betts said. “It helps us, it helps them. Having access to something beautiful matters.”