Story: Phillip Tutor | Photo: Jordan Allison
Dr. Russ Davis is leading university’s Books to Prisons effort聽
There鈥檚 a simple, if not noble, reason why chose to study sociology and criminal justice at the .
鈥淚鈥檝e always had a desire to help people, and the criminal justice system has always fascinated me,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 thought about going into Emergency Medical Services as my original major, but this has grown very strongly on me.鈥�
That passion is also why Vazquez is among the students helping Dr.聽Russ Davis, an assistant professor of sociology at UWA, with a program designed to help a Birmingham-based nonprofit deliver books to inmates in the Alabama Department of Corrections.
The nonprofit, , is affiliated with a similar program in Washington, D.C. The Birmingham nonprofit, first organized in 2009, partners with the Canterbury United Methodist Church, where the donated books are warehoused before being sorted and mailed to prisons in Alabama and Texas.
UWA鈥檚 Books to Prison effort features two components. This week, Davis and 宅男福利社students have placed collection boxes in most campus buildings for donations of unwanted books. Most prison systems prohibit book donations that include sexual content, violence or true crime stories. But a wide range of topics are generally allowed, Davis said — novels, nonfiction, bibles and textbooks. Business-related texts are popular. So, too, are western-themed novels such as those by author Louis L’Amour.
Concurrently, UWA鈥檚 effort also addresses what Books for Prisons administrators say is among inmates鈥� top book requests — dictionaries. To support the drive,聽people can donate in increments of $7.50聽that will be used to buy a new dictionary for inmates. Funds are being collected through a special account in the 宅男福利社Foundation, which is a 501(c)(3) organization, and contributions to it are tax-deductible.聽
Donated books that don鈥檛 meet prison guidelines will be sold to a used bookstore in Birmingham, and proceeds will be used to purchase dictionaries.
鈥淲e know the students are going to be moving out of the dorms real soon,鈥� Davis said, 鈥渁nd anything and everything they’ve got in their rooms that they don’t want to cart home, book-wise, we’d be more than happy to pick up and take from them.鈥�
Davis first met administrators from Books to Prisons before the Covid-19 pandemic and explored ways to participate. The dictionary requests stunned him. Inmates鈥� needs for appropriate books didn鈥檛. As a sociology professor with passions similar to Vazquez鈥檚, he knew the interest from segments of UWA鈥檚 student body would be keen.
鈥淚 was just thrilled to get to meet them,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e have the largest prison population in the entire developed world, and it’s our response to nearly all of our social problems to simply lock people up. Knowing there are these groups out there trying to meet that need (for books) was marvelous.鈥�
More than half of incarcerated people are re-incarcerated within about three years, Davis said, many of whom lack certain skills needed for employment and don鈥檛 have access to adequate prison libraries. Inmates鈥� reading requests also pair well with his students鈥� needs.
鈥淟ike most programs, we’re trying to build up (our students鈥�) resumes and vitas and get them some experience in community service,鈥� he said. Vazquez, a junior from Parrish, Florida, and a member of the , provides the perfect example. 鈥淪he was asking about something that we could possibly do within the program to meet all those needs. And I’m like, 鈥業 have the perfect idea just waiting for you.鈥欌��
She didn鈥檛 hesitate to join the project.
鈥淎s a society, we have a negative outlook on prisoners in general,鈥� Vazquez said. 鈥淚 think the fact that they just want a dictionary, such a simple book to read, and to learn more words speaks about who they are as people. They deserve more than what’s given throughout the prison system and justice system in general.鈥�
Davis doesn鈥檛 expect UWA鈥檚 first Books to Prisons project to be a one-off effort.
鈥淚 absolutely would love to make it an annual event,鈥� he said, 鈥渂ecause the problem is definitely not going away anytime soon.鈥�