Libraries are an Invaluable Gift: Achieving CELSIR’s Dream of Installing Libraries in Every Prison Facility in Kenya

Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.

Charles W. Eliot

I do not recall the title to the first book I ever read. It is many moons, many cups of tea and many more books between that first one and the current one. You see, that first drink from that children’s book was as a cup of cold refreshing water on a boiling afternoon.  I became hooked. I do not remember who wrote that book, what I can only recall is how I felt holding it with my very frame so as not to drop it, and would I let another child take it? Not even for a moment! As a quiet reserved child, books became home to me, they became a place of escape from the unruly noisy world around me. I liked nothing more than to find a spot away from the world where I could read.

Have you ever taken a walk through the rows of books in a library, pausing here and there for moment to look through a title? Have you felt the silence heavy with meaning, while you sat opposite a man lost in a book within its hallowed hall? Have you ever caught that musky wooden scent that is only present in old books? Few places on earth retain the magic that is only present in libraries. While technology and the internet have revolutionized how things are done, there is yet need for legacy spaces that can help us remember, reflect and meditate. Libraries stand out as such a place. A perfect gift that keeps giving.

The Center for Legal Support and Inmate Rehabilitation (CELSIR) wishes to bring the magic of such library-wonder to correctional facilities in Kenya where we hope to install prison libraries in every prison facility in Kenya. Prisons serve a myriad of roles in the society, and one of the key roles is the rehabilitation of incarcerated individuals. In a secluded environment, it is hoped that these individuals would get a place to change and be better citizens when after serving their terms, they rejoin society. Prison libraries can be found in Kakamega prison, Naivasha Maximum Prison, Lang’ata Women’s Prison, Shimo La Tewa Prison (Mombasa), Kamiti Maximum Prison, Nanyuki Prison, Industrial Area Remand Prison, Kodiaga Prison in Kisumu and Nyeri Prison. Our hope and goal is to establish one in Eldoret Main Prison and elsewhere. Prison libraries would be beacons of hope for such prisons. They would help in the reformation of inmates and nourishment of their souls.

Prison libraries can be an important component in this context. The benefits to society and the incarcerated individuals are innumerable, they really can be life transforming; as was the case for the legendary human rights activist Malcolm X. Do you know he became literate while serving time in prison? In the Autobiography of Malcolm X, by Alex Haley, there’s a chapter titled “Learning to Read”, that humorously explains his painstaking struggle to learn to read by studiously copying out pages from a dictionary and trying to recall the meaning of the words. It is awe-inspiring to say the least! Malcolm X went to prison for burglary, but when he was assassinated; it was not for theft, but for pricking the conscience of a nation blinded by bigotry and racism. Books had played a part, not only in his learning to read, but in shaping the American state.

One of the things that incarcerated individuals have is plenty of time. Considering that human beings are most alive when they’re involved in meaningful activities; it often is a recipe for chaos when you have individuals whose freedom of movement is restricted, with nothing much to do. Mental health conditions, deviant behaviors, and all manner of ill outcomes can be exacerbated by idleness. Providing a library facility can be an invaluable resource in such a setting. Light reading material can provide individuals with an engaging source of entertainment that audio-visual media does not provide. Whereas audio-visual media is passively consumed; reading materials are much more engaging, and their “feel-good-factor” lasts longer.

Hope is an amazing thing for the human soul. Incarceration robs an individual of the hope of self-advancement and an opportunity for growth that through a library system can be restored. When there’s academic reading material available to inmates, they have an opportunity to pursue educational aspirations even as they serve their terms. Because of the wealth of knowledge that is available in the inmate population, individuals pursuing different courses can be helped in their studies and because there is the possibility of gaining access to examinations; they can then sit for them while in prison and receive their certifications. This builds camaraderie and lowers crime rates within the prison facilities. An individual who lives with the hope of academic success is more likely to be reformed in conduct and to live with an expectation of better life outcomes, once released. A library to such an individual is a true blessing. Even for those who would wish to study for their own knowledge, a library would be a great help.

Ignorance is an incubator for all kinds of vices. When an individual is ignorant of the law, and of the consequences of their criminal activities, they lose a restraint on their actions. Knowledge of the consequences of their actions can be of help. Well-read individuals also can make better decisions at any given time when compared to those who are ignorant. With more knowledge, one is able to make better decisions. Ignorance of the law and of the legal process causes many individuals to receive stiffer sentences than would have been the case if they had enough knowledge to mount a better defense. Incarcerated individuals exploring appeal options can use prison library facilities to do research and prepare for their cases. 

Mothers serving time face a unique challenge. Incarceration does not excuse them from their parental role as caregivers. When children are forced to live with their mothers in prison, they often are forced to forego certain privileges that they would have received if their parents were not serving time. A library with reading materials for children and pictorial learning tools can be a place for bonding between mother and child. The library can be a place where reading culture can be inculcated in the youngsters. Rather than being an impediment to their academic prospects, access to a library can be the resource that helps them keep pace with other children. If perchance the youngsters get to hear of the great fictional works from home and abroad; there’s no telling how high their souls could soar.

There are perhaps three dreams that are dear to me and that I hope, if God gives me breath and means, I will one day see fulfilled. First I’d like to visit the Library of Alexandria, in Alexandria Egypt. Because of the historical legacy of the library, I would love one day to walk its halls and glimpse at the manuscripts there preserved. I will not tell you the second, but together with a few other friends, we would love to build a library accessible to the public in our small town. It is one of the travesties of our time that a whole town has NO public library and all that stands where once there was one is a signboard pointing to nowhere. It would give me tremendous joy to see these dreams come alive, but as we work and wait; we can gather books for those behind bars. Wouldn’t it be great if you could join us for this venture? Wouldn’t it be great if we could do something for those in our prisons? Who knows what significant fruit could be gathered from such seeds?

By Isaac Kariuki Twitter handle @izzoke