Prison Books Program
Thank you for your interest in our Prison Books program. Unfortunately our program is inactive at the moment...our storage area is locked, our volunteers are sheltering in place, and the prisons are not accepting books because of COVID-19.
Let us know at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you'd like to be added to our email group, used only to provide news and find volunteers for our work.
We believe in the inherent worth and dignity of every person and work to foster justice, equity and compassion in human relations. Unitarian Universalist principles 1 and 2.
Our program provides reading material in bulk to Michigan prisons as requested by prison librarians. We cannot respond to individual prisoner requests at this time.
The UUAA Prison Books Program is a volunteer-run program that collects and distributes donated books to Michigan prisons. Adult books are for recreational reading, self-help, literacy, and, most recently, art and writing programs in the prisons. Children’s books are gifted to the children of those incarcerated.
Established in 2006, the program has delivered over 145,000 books to state and county correctional facilities. In 2017, program volunteers delivered over 16,000 books to prison readers. Over 100 volunteers have participated over the 11 years of the program.
Get Involved!
The Prison Book Program is always looking for volunteers to help with our efforts. Volunteers in the program help with one or more of the following activities:
- Communicate with librarians and chaplains in Michigan correctional facilities to identify reading needs, and with Friends’ groups in local public libraries and book sales.
- Collect used books from area public libraries, book sales, and other places.
- Sort and pack collected books based on requests from prison facilities
- Deliver materials to correctional facilities and distribution centers.
- Promote the program within UUAA and elsewhere
Volunteer opportunities are announced via our group email list and teams are formed to support each activity. The amount of time involved with each of these volunteer opportunities will vary. In general, collecting books and sorting materials takes 1-2 hours. Depending of the location, the delivery of materials could be 1-2 hours for local institutions or 2-3 for more distant locations (including a team lunch!). Some of our activities (sorting and delivery) may require lifting boxes of books.
To get involved and join our mailing list, contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The Prison Books Program is a Faith in Action program under the UUAA Social Justice Council. We are grateful to our volunteers, for the use of church space, and for the continued sponsorship of the program by the Social Justice Council.