• The Hub

    News, Notes, Talk

    West Virginia prison system seeks to profit from inmates desire to read books.

    Jonny Diamond

    November 26, 2019, 10:30am

    It doesn’t seem like editorializing is all that necessary around this cruel and dystopic idea—for-profit prison systems now seem as American as for-profit health care, for-profit education, and, uh, apple pie.

    But yes, West Virginia inmates will be getting free tablets to communicate with family and read books, but will be charged for both: to read, say, Albert Woodfox’s Solitary, they’ll have to pay $.03 a minute (wages in West Virginia prisons average between $0.04 and $0.58 an hour).

    It’s never been about rehabilitation, and it’s even less about that now.

    (VIA The Root.)

  • Become a Lit Hub Supporting Member: Because Books Matter

    For the past decade, Literary Hub has brought you the best of the book world for free—no paywall. But our future relies on you. In return for a donation, you’ll get an ad-free reading experience, exclusive editors’ picks, book giveaways, and our coveted Joan Didion Lit Hub tote bag. Most importantly, you’ll keep independent book coverage alive and thriving on the internet.

    x