Information While Incarcerated – The Manitoba Experience

Abstract

The Prison Libraries Committee exists on Treaty 1, 2, 3 and 5 territories, and the homeland of the Metis Nation. We recognize that many who are incarcerated have been impacted by these treaties and that many promises remain unfulfilled. Libraries are often overlooked as an integral part of Canadian prisons. Incarcerated community members have serious unmet legal/general information needs. While access to information is an established and recognized basic human right, it is often denied to incarcerated people in Manitoba. Access to information/books is often treated as a privilege for good behaviour rather than as a standard to which all incarcerated people are entitled. Our work seeks to counter that inequity. Statistics show many who are incarcerated come from certain socioeconomic backgrounds, and have experienced intergenerational trauma based on the Canadian residential school experience and colonisation. The overrepresentation of Indigenous and other racialised prisoners often present with low literacy, mental health complexities, and drug issues. We create a space for humanity and expressions of lived experience where everyone's story is valued and respected. These learners/readers bring their own knowledge and understanding about themselves, their community, and the wider society. This is valuable. But isn't always heard within a carceral setting.