Prison Education Book Connection Program
Books to Prisoners is excited to announce our administration of the Spring and Summer 2027 cycle of the Book Connection program!
In 2023 W.W. Norton & Company committed to donating their textbooks to higher education in prison programs, leading to the creation of the Book Connection, a partnership between the publishing company and the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison. The Alliance for Higher Education in Prison administrated the program through the end of 2026.
Books to Prisoners will be joining the partnership and will administer the program beginning with the Spring and Summer 2027 cycle. You can learn more about the program's history and impact here.
Higher education programs in prisons do essential work by providing avenues for professional and personal development behind bars. Education has even been proven to significantly reduce recidivism rates. Despite this, prison education programs have historically been underfunded and understaffed. In 1994 incarcerated students lost access to federal Pell Grants, leaving many higher education programs without a crucial piece of their funding. Consequently, the number of higher education programs in prisons fell from almost 1,000 in 1994 to 12 by 2005. In 2023, Pell Grant eligibility was restored for incarcerated students, leading to a resurgence of higher education programs behind bars, and increasing the incarcerated student body significantly 1. Because of financial barriers from low funding, it is challenging for most of these programs to access up to date textbooks.
The Book Connection has been an essential support in getting necessary materials to these education programs. In 2025 Norton donated $367,684 worth of textbooks. Books to Prisoners is excited to support higher education in prison programs and the essential work they do by maintaining this reliable avenue to free and new textbooks.
The application for the Spring and Summer 2027 cycle opened on 10/14/2026 and will remain open until 11/4/2026. You can find eligibility requirements, the application, and more information here.
