Books Beyond Bars is a local collective involved in prison justice and abolition work in Kjipuktuk/Halifax, NS. As a books-to-prisoner initiative, Books Beyond Bars goes into the women’s section of the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Burnside three times monthly to improve access to books, writing, and literature for people who are incarcerated.
Since 2005 Books Beyond Bars has and continues to:
Since 2005 Books Beyond Bars has and continues to:
- Distribute books and writing journals in a book exchange program,
- Collect writing, artwork and poetry for a zine, and now a book, called Words Without Walls,
- Offer a “Read Aloud” program in which we record people inside reading children’s books and then send the book and CD to their children outside (this program currently on hold),
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Organize writing and poetry workshops
Mission & Values
Books Beyond Bars operates with the belief that the prison system is fundamentally flawed and cannot be reformed. Sending people to prison does not address the social and economic issues that lead to people’s incarceration: poverty, abuse, trauma, addiction, etc. Instead we wish for a society that does not rely on isolating people from their communities and taking away their freedom in order to address conflict. We believe in solidarity. We are not a charity; we are a small group of volunteers that operates cooperatively without funding. We visit the women’s prisons in Nova Scotia to break down barriers between people who are caught in an unjust system and those of us on the outside involved with prison justice issues.
We are fundraising to cover a year’s worth of expenses. We do not have any other funding and appreciate any and all donations from individuals and community orgs.
Rent for our library space: $3900 per year
Admin (transportation to the prison, PO box rental, bank fees, non-profit registration, zoom subscription, etc): $750
Events/Public Education (events BBB have been involved in include lecture series, PJD events, tabling at bookfairs, etc): $2000
Materials & Supplies (book & journal purchases, photocopies, library supplies, etc): $2500
