Book drive held to bring literature to Rikers Island
The Bronx Defenders organized a book drive, partnering with Word Up Bookstore to bring a collection of books to people incarcerated at Rikers Island.
Share:
More Stories
2:35
Professional dancer with medical condition defies the odds to achieve success
40m ago1:16
Families enjoy annual Mother’s Day 5K Race in Yorktown Heights
2h ago1:39
Senate bill would limit harmful heavy metals in baby food
3h ago0:22
Police seek public’s help finding missing 15-year-old in Ulster County
5h ago2:19
Rainy Mother’s Day morning in the Hudson Valley, tapers by evening
5h ago1:53
NAMIWalks Westchester raises money for mental health programs
20h ago2:35
Professional dancer with medical condition defies the odds to achieve success
40m ago1:16
Families enjoy annual Mother’s Day 5K Race in Yorktown Heights
2h ago1:39
Senate bill would limit harmful heavy metals in baby food
3h ago0:22
Police seek public’s help finding missing 15-year-old in Ulster County
5h ago2:19
Rainy Mother’s Day morning in the Hudson Valley, tapers by evening
5h ago1:53
NAMIWalks Westchester raises money for mental health programs
20h agoA local legal aid group is working to bring books directly to those who need them the most – incarcerated people at Rikers Island.
According to the Department of Justice, there’s a direct link between crime and reading failures. The DOJ says over 70% of people incarcerated in U.S. prisons can’t read above a fourth-grade level.
The Bronx Defenders organized a book drive, partnering with Word Up Bookstore to bring a collection of books to Rikers Island to read.
Word Up and Bronx Defenders sent over 100 books to the correctional facility. They say that this access to literature is essential to helping out people who are incarcerated.
“Any issues they might be facing inside the jail, a lot of those issues have to do with getting medical health care, any sort of basic needs that they might not have access to,” said Indigo Griffith of Bronx Defenders. “Books for our clients are really a lifeline to the outside world.”
