Women's Prison Book Project

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Words Stretching Beyond Bars & Walls, Since 1994

For 30 years, the Women’s Prison Book Project (WPBP) has provided women, trans, and gender expansive people in prison with free reading materials covering a wide range of topics from law and education (dictionaries, GED, etc.) to fiction, politics, history, and health. We are an all-volunteer, grassroots organization. We build connections with those behind the walls, and educate those of us on the outside about the realities of prison and the justice system.

Prison restrictions continue to make our work more challenging - and more essential than ever

Due to the mass incarceration in the United States, women's incarceration rates have skyrocketed over the decades, with 4-5x as many women incarcerated today as when we first started in the 1990s. And women's incarceration has been increasing at twice the rate of men's incarceration. Women, trans, and nonbinary people experience unique issues and barriers in the criminal legal system, with limited resources and support. Women's Prison Book Project seeks to fill that gap, sending thousands of packages to people who are incarcerated every year, but the need is growing. 

Additionally, our organization has had to grapple with the increasing restrictions of the prisons we send books into. More prisons are banning used books than ever. WPBP has adjusted to these changes to rely less on book donations and more on buying new books. We are able to do this because donations from our supporters made it possible to focus our time and energy away from fundraising, and more on what matters most: meeting the requests of our readers.

WPBP's volunteers continue to amaze us with their dedication. To making sure high demand new books are on our shelves, coordinating used book drives, and getting out over 100 packages a week, WPBP could not do anything without our dedicated volunteers. WPBP continues to be an all-volunteer organization without paid staff.

Any amount helps

Now, we're asking for your financial support. 

• $50 sends books to ten readers
• $500 covers a week of postage
• $1,500 can purchase a month's worth of priority books we don't receive through donations, including addiction/recovery workbooks, legal self-help, GED prep and more. 

Thank you for your past support, and for your continued support in these uncertain times. Without you, WPBP simply would not exist!

With gratitude,
WPBP Volunteers