Prison Banned Books Week
October 19-25, 2026
"To my favorite bookstore…those Bookleggers!
Received your gift on 9.11.26. Books in good repair. No signs of any complications from any source. Again, thank you guys and gals. I brought my gratitude to the Lord immediately thanking those involved. Mercy and blessings to you/yours.
May the reach of God cheer and strengthen your resolve.
Randy"
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Above is a note we received from Randy, a recent book recipient who reaffirmed what we do what we do here at Bookleggers.
You’ve heard of Banned Books Week, but what sets it apart from Prison Banned Books Week? Prisons and jails ban more books than all public schools and libraries combined.
Prison Banned Books Week, October 19-25, is an annual campaign that highlights this profound censorship and advocates for the rights of incarcerated and detained people to access literature and express themselves freely.
At Bookleggers, we believe that books are a basic human right and that access to stories builds stronger, more connected communities. Above all, we believe in the transformative power of books to foster curiosity, empathy, and belonging in Miami and beyond.
So, it only made sense this past spring for us to launch Bookleggers in Prisons (BIP), a program that provides incarcerated individuals across the state of Florida with free books that meet their specific needs and interests.
Since then, with the help of our beloved volunteers, our small but mighty team has been able to provide over 450 books to roughly 75 people incarcerated in Florida’s most vast network of “book deserts” – its prisons and jails.
How You Can Help
As book bans intensify across our state in prisons and outside, Bookleggers is committed to doing what we can to increase unfettered access to literature. This Prison Banned Books Week, here’s a few ways you can help out:
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Donate to help spread free books! $7 covers the cost of one package of 3-5 books. Give a little, give a lot – every little bit helps.
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Donate books with an appointment. Below are some common BIP requests. Please note paperback books in very good condition are preferred:
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Paperback dictionaries
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BLANK coloring and puzzle books
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Self-help
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Philosophy
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Classics
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Volunteer! Among other programs and bookstore tasks, our volunteers are a huge help in choosing books to match book requests and assist with packing.
Lastly, if you have a loved one inside who you’d like to request books for, you can download our BIP order form and mail the completed form to our bookstore.
Thank you for all you do to help protect our freedom to read!
More Info
According to PEN America, beginning as early as 1991 in Florida and New York, state departments of corrections started banning specific titles, which they deemed threats to the interests of incarceration.
Through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to every state department of corrections, PEN America discovered that Florida has the most restrictive book bans in its prisons and jails, with 22,825 banned titles as of September 2023.
The Florida Department of Corrections Literature Review Committee (LRC) controls the flow of information in Florida’s correctional facilities, routinely flagging and restricting incoming books and periodicals addressed to those incarcerated for reasons stated and unstated. This list of over 500 pages of LRC decisions from 2012-2023 will give you a glimpse of just how extensive these restrictions are.