Vanessa Rivera's Reflection 3/10/2025
Senior of 2025 at UW-Whitewater
This week, I had the opportunity to visit LGBTQ+ Books to Prisoners, a nonprofit organization committed to providing incarcerated individuals with books that cater to their interests. The process starts with inmates sending letters that range from personal stories to specific book or author requests. Volunteers then search through a well-organized collection, housed in a small but vibrant basement space, carefully selecting books that align with each request. The environment was warm and welcoming, with volunteers dedicated to fostering a sense of connection and purpose in their work, reinforcing the importance of literature as a means of escape and self-discovery for those behind bars.
One of the most significant aspects of this process is the inclusion of a personal note along with the books. The trainers emphasized that this step is the most important because it helps inmates feel recognized and valued. Given their limited connections to the outside world, receiving a handwritten note makes them feel heard and human. It assures them that their requests matter and that someone took the time to understand them. After selecting the books and writing the note, another step involves stacking the books and securing them with rubber bands to ensure everything is in order. The final step, which I was trained on, is packaging. This involves checking prison-specific mailing guidelines, what we found out is that many facilities have strict rules, such as banning nudity in books and only accepting softcover editions. Once packaged correctly, the books are wrapped and prepared for mailing.
During my time at the organization, I was particularly struck by the challenges they face in getting books to inmates. The mailroom staff and prison regulations have very harsh and often injudicious standards. For example, shipments are sometimes returned in bulk due to minor packaging issues, or books are rejected for superficial damage. Some inmates even send follow-up letters stating they never received their books, which often means the mailroom disposed of them. It was disheartening to learn how some prisons seem to actively resist allowing books to reach inmates, citing concerns about contraband or hypothetical risks, despite such incidents being rare.
The most shocking revelation was that in certain states or prisons, the organization is not allowed to include the personal note directly with the books. Instead, the note must be sent separately in an envelope. The volunteers believe this restriction exists to prevent inmates from forming connections with people outside prison, making them feel even more isolated. Witnessing these restrictions firsthand deepened my understanding of the systemic barriers that incarcerated individuals face.
My favorite part of this experience was reading the letters from the inmates. While it wasn’t required in my role, I felt compelled to read them to better understand the people we were helping. I imagined what they looked like, how old they were, and where they were sitting when they wrote their letters. One letter, in particular, stood out to me—it was from a man who had been in prison since 1998 and had hidden his bisexuality for fear of how he would be treated. He wrote about the challenges of being a closeted LGBTQ+ person in prison and how books provided him with an escape. It was heartbreaking to realize how long he had been confined and to consider how difficult it might be for him to adapt if he were ever released.
This experience was one of the most meaningful I have ever had. Even though the incarcerated individuals may never know that I played a role in sending them their books, I found immense value in being part of the process. Reading their letters, seeing the thoughtfulness behind the book selections, and witnessing the impact of a simple personal note was deeply moving. This experience reinforced for me the importance of organizations like LGBTQ+ Books to Prisoners and the vital role they play in providing connection, representation, and escape through literature. I will carry the lessons I learned from this experience with me for the rest of my life.
Kailee Weber's Reflection 3/10/2025
Senior of 2025 at UW-Whitewater
I have been working to develop a book drive along with supervising staff at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Together, our initiative went to volunteer and reflect upon this experience. Along with developing this incentive organizing this book drive at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, my peers and supervising staff volunteered at LGBT Books to Prisoners in Madison, Wisconsin. Those who have volunteered with the non-profit organization for decades train those of us who have little to no experience. For two hours, volunteers systematically read the letters from inmates, select books based on their interests, write a note back to send with the books, and package the books with other resources based on the prison's requirements. This event led our group to acquire first-hand experience of the efforts and effects of this non-profit, and the others around the country.
While volunteering, I worked in packaging with provided a comprehensive view of the process allowing me to read the letters from the inmates and the note written back to them, see the complete selection of books pertaining to the inmates' interests, and see the prisons' different requirements for mailing packages. Some of the letters I read explained their need for books, the conditions within the prison, or reason for being there demonstrating the prisoners’ feelings of inadequacy and motivation to rehabilitate themselves while incarcerated. Along with a set of books they would be interested in, other letters were simple expressing appreciation to the volunteers and the books the inmates received. A few filled the page with drawings or artful calligraphy. I found the letters written by the prisoners to be the most impactful during this experience because they portrayed glimpses of the inmate's character through the different handwriting and content on the page.
LGBT Books to Prisoners specializes in offering free books to an especially marginalized group in society. A few of the letters from the inmates contained personal information about their sexuality and their realization. There was no common age range for the individuals who did express something about their sexuality. For instance, one man was around 80 years old, had been in prison for 20 years, and expressed how he felt uncomfortable coming-out in prison due to the harsh treatment he would them receive from the officers and other inmates. Along with this, the inmate described his life with his wife which made him have experiences with other LGBTQ identifying people leading him to this realization about his own sexual identity. In packaging and if it was eligible per prison policy, the organization would include information packets for the prisoners who wanted to know more about their sexual identity.
For this volunteer service, I was in the packaging department which gave me an insight into all the other facets of the organization, but also a look at the difficulty arranging packages to be sent to prison institutions across the nation. The books, notes back to the prisoners, and information resource packet are all included per prison stipulations. Prisons make it increasingly difficult for those incarcerated to receive packages or letters from the public. Some prisons required the handwritten notes back to the prisoners to be sent as a letter separately from the package of books. I learned this complication is due to the misinformation that drug or other contraband were being smuggled into the prisoners by these organizations through these means. However, the reality of this situation is that prisons send the letters containing the note for the prisoner to a pay-for-profit company that will scan the note as a document for viewing through online means, but making the prisoner pay to view the scanned documents. Inmate's time spent online is extremely limited and having to take some of that time away from learning more about modern society is detrimental to their mental health and recidivism.
Other stipulations placed by the prisons regarded the contents of the books, the condition, and number of books. It was common for the prisons to require no nudity, new or slightly used books which more than not had to be soft cover, and often only allowed three books, but sometimes the prisons would permit four being sent. The organization can send two packages of books to each inmate per year. If the books did not fit the requirements upon review in the mailroom they would be sent back to the organization, or thrown out with no notice to the inmate or organization decreasing the number of books the inmate would receive due to the lack of communication.
Volunteering at LGBT Books to Prisoners gave me insight into the important efforts made by these organizations for marginalized populations in prison communities. Through my work in the packaging department, I gained firsthand experience into the challenges faced by both the inmates and volunteers in fulfilling the restrictive mailing policies of prisons. The letters from the inmates provided insight into the empowerment they felt by gaining access to knowledge and having a personal connection with the volunteers at the organization, despite the barriers faced within the prison system. Reflecting on this activity has deepened my understanding of the systemic challenges incarcerated individuals face from the dehumanizing policies that limit their access to resources, to the difficulties in giving those incarcerated materials, which could aid in their self-discovery and recidivism.