Author’s Princeton ties bring N.J. its first Freedom Libraries

Reginald Dwayne Betts, CEO of the nonprofit Freedom Reads, believes that you can “radically transform people's lives by giving them access to high-quality literature.” Betts is a lawyer and advocate for prison reform, as well as an acclaimed poet, performer and memoirist.

His organization has opened 345 Freedom Libraries in more than 40 prisons and juvenile detention centers across the U.S. In May, Princeton University Library (PUL) collaborated with Freedom Reads to open the first ones in New Jersey, at Garden State Youth Correctional Facility in Chesterfield.

New Jersey Department of Corrections Commissioner Victoria Kuhn (left) and Freedom Reads founder Reginald Dwayne Betts admire one of the Freedom Libraries at the Garden State Youth Correctional Facility, installed last May with support from Princeton University Library.

Photo courtesy of Freedom Reads

Unlike a library in a typical prison, accessible only through multiple guards and checkpoints, Freedom Libraries are installed in the center of residential units, with easy access to the nonprofit’s signature handcrafted wooden bookshelves that hold 500 books.

Betts' nonprofit grew from his own experience: At 16, he was incarcerated for nine years after pleading guilty to a carjacking. He calls his access to books of poetry and literature in prison "transformational."

Betts would go on to receive a law degree from Yale University and artistic acclaim for his 2019 book "Felon: Poems," which he adapted into a solo show that he has performed before both live and digital audiences.  He is the recipient of the Guggenheim fellowship and a MacArthur “genius” grant.

His relationship with Princeton began when his online show caught the eye of Tony Award-winning lighting designer Jane Cox, professor of the practice in theater in the Lewis Center for the Arts. In 2021, she invited him to develop the show for the stage at Princeton. He returned in spring 2023 to perform "Felon: An American Washi Tale" at the Berlind Theatre as an artist in residence at the Lewis Center, and participated in public conversations with community members.

Betts said Princeton’s support speaks volumes. “You’re saying that libraries matter in places that are literally starving for the robust access to the world of ideas, to the world of characters, to the world of curiosity that is part of being a student at Princeton.”

Photo courtesy of Freedom Reads

Anne Jarvis, dean of libraries at Princeton, attended a show and was electrified, she said. She immediately began working with Princeton's Prison Teaching Initiative (PTI) and Office of State Affairs to orchestrate PUL's support to bring Freedom Libraries to New Jersey.

"When you meet Dwayne, you cannot but be pulled in by his story and how access to books made such a difference to his life," Jarvis said.

"PTI is entering its 20th year of offering college courses at Garden State Youth Correctional Facility," said Jill Stockwell, associate director of PTI. "It was joy to witness this powerful connection between the University, Freedom Reads and the New Jersey Department of Corrections that enabled these libraries to go up in the living quarters so that people have access to these great books."

Cecelia Ramsay, a Princeton graduate student who teaches French and literature with PTI, helped with the opening as a Freedom Reads volunteer.

Betts said Princeton’s support speaks volumes. "You're saying that libraries matter in places that are literally starving for the robust access to the world of ideas, to the world of characters, to the world of curiosity that is part of being a student at Princeton."

Freedom Libraries are installed in the center of residential units, with easy access to the nonprofit’s signature handcrafted wooden bookshelves that hold 500 books.

Photo courtesy of Freedom Reads