“A bill to establish a program to make grants for the establishment of prison libraries.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section directs the Attorney General to establish, not later than one year after enactment, a grant program for eligible applicants to provide library services to incarcerated individuals to advance reintegration efforts, reduce recidivism, and increase educational opportunities.
This section establishes eligibility criteria for grants under this Act, limiting grantees to States or territories that submit an application including (1) a comprehensive plan detailing grant use, project objectives, program design, and evaluation process; (2) proof of an existing physical library at a correctional facility or intent to create one; and (3) demographic data on the facility's population demonstrating compelling need for funding (e.g., educational levels, recidivism rates, socioeconomic breakdown).
This section requires grant funds to be used for library services to incarcerated individuals as specified in section 2 and permits their use for up to 24 additional purposes, including (1) education and job training; (2) acquisition of modern materials and equipment reflecting the prison population's interests, identities, abilities, and languages; (3) expansion of less restrictive, safety-permitted, and more welcoming prison library infrastructure; and (4) hiring qualified librarians and staff with experience in library management, cataloging and maintaining databases and e-resources, and organizing events. It further permits uses for (5) through (24) various programs and services, such as literary and digital literacy training, career readiness and financial literacy, civic engagement and restorative justice, resident-led and cultural activities, health and wellness, computer and internet access (including laptops), audiobooks and accessible materials, family literacy during visits, resource fairs, and building relationships with local public libraries through standardized guidelines, interlibrary loans, and joint events.
This section prohibits the use of grant amounts for (1) purchasing food, clothes, shoes, or hygiene supplies; (2) payment of employee salary and benefits unassociated with prison libraries; (3) physical and mental care for incarcerated individuals; (4) incarcerated individual transportation; (5) staff training unrelated to library services; (6) general administrative functions or operations of the prison; (7) facility maintenance unrelated to the libraries; (8) other obligations imposed on the facility by law, including establishment or maintenance of a law library; and (9) any other use unrelated to library services, resources, and management.
This section directs the Attorney General, in awarding grants under this Act, to prioritize applicants that (1) follow local or national standards and guidelines for library management, (2) add or prioritize post-secondary education curriculum to library programming, (3) have plans for tangible, positive, and measurable impacts on prison populations—including increased literacy rates, secondary and post-secondary enrollment and graduation rates, technical and vocational skills development, and expanded post-release employment opportunities—and (4) plan numerous initiatives to maximize benefits and services for prison populations. The section further requires the Attorney General to ensure geographic diversity among grantees across states and territories and between urban and rural areas and to establish a reporting system to monitor grantee progress, performance, and expenditures.
This section requires grantees to submit annual performance measures—including library activity statistics and program outcomes—and expenditure reports to systems established by the Attorney General under section 6(3).
This section prohibits a grantee from charging any incarcerated individual a fee for (1) access to physical books; (2) access to eBooks and audiobooks; (3) access to computers (including laptops) and the internet within the library; (4) access to educational and artistic materials needed for learning, training, or activities (e.g., notebooks, pens, pencils, paints, and similar supplies); (5) printing services; or (6) any other library services or resources. This section requires a grantee to make the library space available to post-secondary organizations and personnel for educational programming.