International Area Studies Newsletter

“They just started a PAWS in Prison program here. Being around the dogs has given me hope and makes me smile. I hope other prisons get this program too. It makes a difference.” 

I had the unique opportunity to read stories like this while volunteering with IAS students at Books Through Bars (BTB), a West Philly nonprofit working to use education to transform the lives of prisoners. Although IAS students travel the world exploring cultures and communication, we want to offer other service-based opportunities to explore the themes present within the IAS curriculum; BTB was first stop in an evolving initiative. 

We spent time reading  prisoners’ letters, which highlighted their interests ranging from animal behavior, to medical terminology, to Yoruba spirituality; but their letters shared two things in common: their belief in the power of education to make them better people, and their gratitude for volunteers sending them books.

Isabel, our onsite coordinator, reminded us of the value of each letter: “Many prisoners earn .11c an hour, so think about how much they had to work to buy an envelope and stamp.” Each envelope arrived with a prisoner ID number, but it was small snippets of knowledge like that which transformed seemingly abstract numbers into individual human beings.

Other notations on the envelopes highlighted the restrictions set for each prison: no hard cover books, no radical literature, a three book limit, etc.  And while contemplating their stories and lives behind bars, it offered a small avenue to think and talk about justice and reform, and why so many African American men dominate the prison landscape. It may have been a small, two hour service project, but its impact was profound, and we all walked away thinking more deeply about the individuals living behind bars, and the inequality that permeates society’s pipeline to prison.