Ohio Congresswoman Shontel Brown, other Congressional Dems, introduce 'Prisons Library Act' to reduce recidivism and expand educational opportunities for the nation's incarcerated...More than 38% of the prison population is Black...By Clevelandurbannews.com, Ohio's Black digital news leader

Ohio 11th Congressional District Congresswoman Shontel Brown (OH-11)

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com

Washington, DC – Ohio 11th Congressional District Congresswoman Shontel Brown (D-11), a Warrensville Hts. Democrat and one of three Black women in Congress from Ohio, joined U.S. Reps. Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) and Valerie Foushee (D-NC) to re-introduce the Prison Libraries Act to expand library resources in U.S. state and territory correctional facilities.

The legislation aims to increase educational opportunities, advance reintegration efforts, and reduce recidivism. It will authorize federal funds for state prisons to expand library resources and services to support the education and skills training of incarcerated Americans.

Notwithstanding institutional racism, Black adults comprise some 38% of the total U.S. prison population, data show, despite representing only about 13% of the overall U.S. population. Moreover, Black Americans are incarcerated at a rate roughly five times that of White Americans, if not more. 

The official text of the Prison Libraries Act is available here.

"Everyone deserves to have access to learning, ideas, and information no matter where they are," said Congresswoman Brown, whose 11th congressional district includes the majority Black city of Cleveland. "The Prison Libraries Act would help give incarcerated community members the resources they need to pursue knowledge and development opportunities they would not have otherwise received."

Brown said that when people have access to education and information, they're better equipped to succeed when they come home, and our communities are safer and stronger. Congresswoman Clever agreed.

"America's correctional system is far too often focused on punishment rather than rehabilitation," said Congressman Cleaver. "The Prison Libraries Act is an attempt to shift this dynamic, providing incarcerated Americans with increased access to education and skills training services that will better prepare them for reintegration into society." 

Over 600,000 individuals are released from federal and state prisons each year. Upon release, these individuals often struggle to reintegrate into their communities. This struggle is exacerbated by prisons often offering incarcerated individuals little to no educational or job training opportunities. The lack of such resourceful opportunities affects formerly incarcerated individuals' ability to find gainful employment once released and increases the likelihood of recidivism.

"Libraries give everyone the chance to learn and grow, yet many correctional facilities lack the infrastructure to provide these essential resources," said Congresswoman Valerie Foushee. "To reduce recidivism and support successful reintegration, our justice system must provide incarcerated individuals with ways to prepare for life after release. I'm proud to join my colleagues in introducing the Prison Libraries Act."

Libraries are one of the most powerful and transformative resources against recidivism, but they tend to be substantially underutilized, scarce, insufficiently funded, and inadequately equipped with learning, training, information, and communication materials and technologies in American jails and prisons.

In 2025, the American Library Association reported that the Ohio Reformatory for Women provided just two reentry computers for a population of 2,300 women. These reentry computers allowed women to create resumes and search for incarceration-friendly employers.

The Prison Libraries Act would authorize a competitive grant program for state and U.S. territory prisons to: 

-Offer adequate library services, including education and job training, digital literacy, career readiness programming, and computer and internet access, among other services, for free;

-Invest in acquiring updated materials and equipment that reflect the prison population's interests, identities, abilities, and languages;

-Expand the infrastructure of prison libraries.

-Hire well-trained and qualified staff to manage libraries, their resources, and services; and,

-Build a collaborative relationship with the respective local public libraries.

The Prison Libraries Act is cosponsored by U.S. Reps. Ed Case (D-HI), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL), Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), Suzan DelBene (D-WA), Cleo Fields (D-LA), Dwight Evans (D-PA), Jesús "Chuy" García (D-IL), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Hank Johnson (D-GA), Julie Johnson (D-TX), Summer Lee (D-PA), LaMonica McIver (D-NJ), Emily Randall (D-WA), David Scott (D-GA), Terri Sewell (D-AL), Lateefah Simon (D-CA), Shri Thanedar (D-MI), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Bennie Thompson (D-MS).

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, the most-read Black digital newspaper and blog in Ohio and the Midwest. Tel. 216-659-0473. Email-editor@clevelandurbannews.com.