NYPL Jail & Prison Services
"Whether your team provides support through offering a simple letter, information, or a good book, you have provided incarcerated people something that cannot be had elsewhere, the feeling of being wanted, having value beyond that of what we each experience in our incarceration."
– NYPL JPS patron
At Jail & Prison Services, we rely heavily on donated books. We encourage all to please visit the Prison Library Support Network Wish List at Greenlight Bookstore!
Connections: A Free Guide for Formerly Incarcerated People
Connections is an annual reentry resource guide, available to help people coming home after incarceration. Connections also serves as a guide on preparing to apply for jobs after release. We are proud to publish the most exhaustive reentry guidebook in New York City.
Because of our limited print run, we ask that community based organizations rely on the PDF version of Connections to use with their clients when possible. To order free printed copies of the book, please use our online order form. Print copies are prioritized for soon-to-be-released people who have no internet access in jail and prison.
A Spanish translation of Connections 2024 is available as a PDF. Incarcerated Spanish speakers can write to NYPL Jail & Prison Services, 40 West 20th Street, New York NY 10011 to request up to 40 printed pages at a time. Writers should specify which chapters/resources are needed.
Una traducción al español de Conexiones 2024 está disponible en PDF. Personas que están encarceladas pueden solicitar hasta 40 páginas impresas de Conexiones 2024 a la vez que se enviarán por carta, escribiendo a NYPL Jail & Prison Services, 40 West 20th Street, New York NY 10011. Escritores deben especificar qué capítulos o recursos que necesitan.
The New York Public Library's Jail & Prison Services team delivers a range of library programs, including:
- Circulating book service at New York City jails.
- Let's Read Together! is a book-recording program with incarcerated parents. Parents participate in an early literacy workshop to explore the lifelong benefits of reading. Parents then make an audio recording reading a favorite picture book. Their children can enjoy the book at home, while following along with their parent's voice.
- Reference by Mail to incarcerated patrons.