Books for Incarcerated Youth In Georgia

GabbyGermain_DonationProject

I chose to participate in the project Books for Incarcerated Youth because I feel strongly that those incarcerated must have access to educational material. Access to such material allows them to stay connected with their humanity and the outside world. It gives them the opportunity to learn and better themselves while serving their sentence.

My goal for this project was to find a donation project that aligns with my beliefs (such as fair access to educational, self-help, and self-exploration materials) and rally to donate at least 10 books.

Per Dr. Flowers advice, I researched “Book Donation for Incarcerated Youth” on Google.com. I flipped through different projects, and eventually landed on going through the GA Department of Corrections Library Services. I felt as though this would be the most direct way to donate, and ensure the fastest way for incarcerated youth to receive these books.

From their website:

“The Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) library services are one library holding housed in 34 plus correctional facilities throughout the State of Georgia. GDC libraries support all academic and vocational education programs, leisure reading, and Law Library needs for offenders. GDC library goals are to provide books that inspire, educate, and broaden the perspective of all patrons. We continue striving to build a library collection that is relevant and uplifting, while offering lifelong learning and value for the patrons of the GDC library, both staff and inmates”.

To decide which kind of books to donate, I decided to go off of their “most needed” list. This includes 

Mystery/Thrillers 
Fantasy & Sci-Fi
Westerns 
African American Literature & Studies (urban fiction, history, etc.) 
Books on How to Draw (portraits, landscapes, shading, coloring, etc.) 
Trade Books & How To Manuals (plumbing, woodwork, electrical repair, agriculture, etc.) 
Humor 
Yoga & Fitness 
Psychology and Philosophy 
Business; personal finance 
Hobbies (drawing, crocheting, etc) 
Self-help (Sexual abuse, trauma, addiction, etc)

I decided to go on ThriftBooks.com to donate and mail directly. This way, I personally could save time in going to the post office and it would be more COVID-Conscious. I was most interested in donating self-help and trade books, so that’s what I searched for. I was able to find the following titles in “very good” or “like new” condition :

• “The Power of Your Subconscious Mind” by Joseph Murphy
• “Drawing for Dummies” (Part of the Dummies Series) by Jamie Combs and Brenda Hoddinott
• “Donna Dewberry’s Complete Book of One-Stroke Painting” by Donna S. Dewberry

My advice to those who wish to donate would be to think about not only what is most desirable to donate, but what is most needed and least often donated. For example, many people wish to donate religious text, fiction books, or non-fiction novels. These are all wonderful resources to have, however rarities such as philosophy, sexuality, self-help, and trade are very helpful in the long-run for incarcerated youth. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a link for those who wish to donate: http://www.dcor.state.ga.us/content/library

Here are 25 young adult titles I personally enjoy that would make great donations:

1. “The Poisonwood Bible” by Barbara Kingsolver
2. “Perrine’s Sound and Sense-An Introduction to Poetry” by Greg Johnson & Thomas R. Arp
3. “Waiting for Godot” by Samuel Beckett
4. “A History of the World in 6 Glasses” by Tom Standage
5. “The Jungle” by Upton Sinclair
6. “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas
7. “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” by Ransom Riggs
8. “Fangirl” by Rainbow Rowell
9. “Uglies” by Scott Westerfield
10. “A Wrinkle in Time” by  Madeleine L’Engle
11. “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee
12. “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collings
13. “Catching Fire” by Suzanne Collins
14. “Mockingjay” by Suzanne Collins
15. “The Fault in our Stars” by John Green
16. “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury
17. “The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak
18. “The Giver” by Lois Lowry
19. “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams
20. “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky
21. “The Mortal Instruments” (series) by Cassandra Clare
22. “Flowers For Algernon” by Daniel Keyes
23. “Tuck Everlasting” by Natalie Babbitt
24. “The House on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros
25. “The Maze Runner” by James Dashner

Here are 5 amazing Articles to read about youth offenders and books:

1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/changing-the-way-juvenile-offenders-see-themselves–one-book-at-a-time/2014/12/19/1e158c22-8616-11e4-a702-fa31ff4ae98e_story.html
2. https://jjie.org/2019/01/02/education-behind-bars-can-young-people-be-taught-in-adult-justice-system/
3. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/222253848_Crime_can_be_prevented_if_schools_teach_juvenile_offenders_to_read_Children_and_Youth_Services_Review_30_1055-1062
4. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-british-journal-of-psychiatry/article/mental-health-needs-of-young-offenders-in-custody-and-in-the-community/4BB28E6D458582CD62E21742013ED293
5. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/shackling-juvenile-offenders-can-do-permanent-damage-to-our-kids/2014/11/13/55561dfe-602e-11e4-9f3a-7e28799e0549_story.html?tid=a_inl_manual

Here are 5 of the book covers I selected! Thank you so much for your time.

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