A R T I C L E S 1 1  

T H E  PRISO N  LIBRARY AS V I EWED BY FO U R  I N MATES 

THE IMPORTANCE OF PRISON LIBRARIES 

by 

Luis D. Medina 

The Jackson Correctional Institution has had a great influence 
over my life. It has provided an easy way to find information on 
legal material and other interesting subjects that have improved 
my language skills. Also, it has given me a great opportunity to 
find an academic position in my life. The library means more to 
me now than it ever did before. I have come to feel that the art of 
learning, growing, and becoming deals with self-education. 

There are no words to describe the importance of prison 
libraries and the impact they have on us inmates. The important 
question is, are we, as inmates, willing to use our library to discover 
for ourselves the excitement and joy of learning? 

Many interesting books help to ease the mind in this enclosed 
environment. At this library it is not difficult to access information. 
Educational movies and computers make it easy to find books, 
and our librarian is more than happy to help us to find materials. 
Appointed inmates in the law library assist us in finding answers 
to our questions and in finding legal material we wish to examine. 
This is very important to me as well as to other inmates who are 
trying to find information concerning their court cases. The J.C.I. 
library also distributes books into classrooms and housing units, 
thus providing easier access. 

As a bilingual person, it is very important for me to refresh 
my memory in the Spanish language. I have taken advantage of 
books in the library not only to improve my Spanish, but also to 
keep my English fluent. The library here provides a selection of 
Spanish· materials for inmates who are still learning English. 
Bilingual library assistants direct these inmates to interesting books 
that will help feed their minds and that will give advice on legal 
matters. It would be beneficial if more books could be provided 
to inmates unable to speak the English language as well as books 
for other minority inmates such as Native Americans and Asian 
Americans who wish to learn more about their heritage. There 
can never be too many books in our libraries that can help us to 
change the way we carry ourselves. 

The mind must be fed and books are an important part of the 
diet. I enjoy reading both fiction and non-fiction that will increase 
the range of my intellectual interests. Mostly I check out books 
that help me learn something new, but also those that will give me 

a little mental adventure, for example books about history, science, 
romance, etc. In this process, I have come to see reading as the 
bread of the intellect. Moreover, the quality and type of books my 
mind feeds upon makes a critical difference. The intelligent and 
habitual use of reading provides me with an access to facts, ideas, 
and experiences unavailable to me in no other way and helps to 
develop my mind to the highest level. Books remain the basic 
tools of my education and are my special concern for life of the 
mind. 

Learning is opportunity. Here I have unlimited access to 
library materials that constantly remind me that it is never too 
late to learn. Attending the library regularly gives me a sense of 
what knowledge is, its relationships, and its connections. It gives 
me an opportunity for growth in emotional maturity, health, 
integrity, knowledge, and wisdom. 

On the streets today, the sensible thing to do is make use of 
libraries and utilize the knowledge provided there. The adventure 
and the responsibility to make good use of the library belong to 
us. Inmates often lack interest, motivation, intellectual hunger, 
drives, and desires to learn. Decreasing participation in this library 
is becoming common. Encouragement is needed to give inmates 
the power to develop passion for the great opportunities provided 
by JCI's library. 

The goal of every person is to be successful in life. If we 
inmates wish to strive, we must make it a mission to educate 
ourselves by means of materials found in our library. We are all 
capable of astonishing growth in learning and developing skills. 

Libraries can have a great influence and importance to 
incarcerated inmates. They provide ways by which we can engage 
our curiosity on interesting subjects. Man is what he reads. So, let 
us read to become man. I believe that learning in our library should 
be active, not passive. The experience is ours. Learning is our 
adventure. 

Luis D. Medina is an inmate at Jackson Correctional Institution, 
Black River Falls, Wisconsin, U.S.A. He wrote this personal 
appreciation for his library in April, 2000. 

EDUCATION LIBRARIES VOL. 24, No. 1