May brings many of the same issues related to COVID.  In an effort to protect clients from COVID in the BOP, all have been advised to get their inoculations prior to surrendering given the (poor) state of BOP medical facilities.

In addition to continuing to prepare a woman for surrender to Victorville Camp, after several extensions and a complicated medical situation, the following book donations have been made this month to support prison library programs as well as special requests across the USA:

5/1/2021  Sent two special request books to a client of White Collar Advice at FMC Lexington Camp.

5/1/2021  Sent ten new dictionaries to Inside Books Project in Austin, Texas.

“Inside Books Project is an Austin-based community service volunteer organization that sends free books and educational materials to prisoners in Texas. Inside Books is the only books-to-prisoners program in Texas, where over 140,000 people are incarcerated. Inside Books Project works to promote reading, literacy, and education among incarcerated individuals and to educate the general public on issues of incarceration.” – insidebooksproject.org

5/1/2021  Sent ten new dictionaries to Prison Book Program in Quincy, Massachusetts.

“Prison Book Program is a grassroots organization that exists for one purpose—to send free books to prisoners. We’ve been doing it since 1972.

Books are crucial to the political, spiritual, and educational development of all people. Most prisons do not allow family and friends to send books into prisons. They must come from a bookstore, publisher, online retailer or a program like ours. We serve over 10,000 prisoners each year.” – prisonbookprogram.org

5/1/2021  Sent ten new crossword/word search puzzle books to Chicago Books to Women in Prison  (chicagobwp.org) from their wish list at Women and Children First (womenandchildrenfirst.com), an independent book store in Chicago, Illinois.

“Chicago Books to Women in Prison is an all-volunteer group that distributes paperback books free of charge to incarcerated people nationwide, focusing on all women and trans/non-binary people. We are dedicated to offering the opportunity for self-empowerment, education and entertainment that reading provides.

Currently we send books to state prisons in Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi and Ohio, as well as all federal prisons. We do not send books to jails and other short-term facilities outside Chicago.” – chicagobwp.org.

5/1/2021  Sent ten new dictionaries to Appalachian Prison Book Project in Morgantown, West Virginia.

“By mailing books, creating prison book clubs, and providing tuition support for incarcerated people taking college classes, APBP celebrates creative expression and defends the liberties that make it possible; champions the freedom to read and write, recognizes the power of literature to transform individuals and societies; and supports educational, vocational, and personal development for people who are locked up. ” – appalachianprisonbookproject.org

While book donations are an essential part of what The White Collar Club Handbook does to support the educational needs of people that are incarcerated, daily Corrlinks correspondence and weekly magazine packets continue as communication is key to successful reentry.  Many facilities are no longer allowing cards to be sent so people are relying on Corrlinks now more than ever for “conversation.”

“Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill