We are a 501c3 not-for-profit that sends books and other reading material to people incarcerated free of charge to them. Started in Chicago in 2004
Chicago
Joined February 2021
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We meet every Saturday at noon to support incarcerated people by sending literature, letters, and birthday cards. We would love to see you here!
Midwest Books to Prisoners retweeted
BREAKING: Swarthmore College is threatening eight students with expulsion for passing out zines on campus in the most explicit attempt to silence dissent that this pathetic institution has ever dared.
Midwest Books to Prisoners retweeted
The Prairieland case is the heart of the federal strategy to criminalize all protest under the banner of an imaginary antifa. Legally, it is the tip of the spear. Do not ignore it.
Trials begin February. Visit prairielanddefendants.com follow @DFWSupCommittee keep talking about it
Midwest Books to Prisoners retweeted
Illinois is standing strong against Trump's attacks on migrant community communities & the Pretrial Fairness Act.
Over the weekend, @AAAJ_Chicago & Nikkei Uprising spoke to 150+ people about the need to defend Illinois' pretrial reforms.
Take Action bit.ly/BeatBackTrump
Midwest Books to Prisoners retweeted
At least 20 people have died in ICE custody in 2025, making this year the deadliest in decades. With increases to ICE’s funding, workforce, and detention space, the system riddled with abuse and neglect will undoubtedly be more life-threatening in 2026.
npr.org/2025/10/23/nx-s1-553…
Midwest Books to Prisoners retweeted
THURSDAY! ILPublic radio stations will air “The Story of Violence,” written by IPP Ambassador Toussaint Daniels, as part of the Dixon Prison Performing Arts program & Mud Theater Project. Listen on WBEZ’s “Prisoncast!” 7pm Nov. 6, on 91.5 FM or stream at
ow.ly/Uo6z50XnvnU
Midwest Books to Prisoners retweeted
Not so fun fact: The most banned book in US prisons is… a cookbook😐
This week is Prison Banned Books Week – the system’s attack on books is sinister, to say the least, and emerging technology, like tablets, is not helping.
Here’s what you should know:
prisonpolicy.org/blog/2024/0…
Midwest Books to Prisoners retweeted
NLG Chicago Responds to Attacks on Free Speech at the Broadview Detention Center: nlgchicago.org/2025/10/14/nl…
Midwest Books to Prisoners retweeted
Last week, our members testified the Cook County Board of Commissioners meeting. We called on the Board to freeze law enforcement spending to protect funding for essential services like violence prevention, behavioral health, and community investment.
Midwest Books to Prisoners retweeted
NLG Chicago Denounces Continued Violence from Federal Law Enforcement and Attacks on Free Speech and Press in Broadview, Illinois
On Saturday, September 27, 2025, NLG Chicago witnessed alarming and violent attacks on those assembled to protest at the Broadview detention facility
Midwest Books to Prisoners retweeted
"Now, advocates are concerned over how this could impact the wellbeing of those inside and their loved ones."
news.wttw.com/2025/09/29/ill…
The Illinois Department of Corrections will now permanently scan most physical mail sent to incarcerated people and distribute it electronically.
to.wttw.com/3VDdW5r
Midwest Books to Prisoners retweeted
We know from other states that mail scanning is NOT an effective solution to eliminate contraband in prisons. In PA, the drug problem in state prisons got worse after mail scanning. bit.ly/4mFyp4F
The Illinois Department of Corrections will now permanently scan most physical mail sent to incarcerated people and distribute it electronically.
to.wttw.com/3VDdW5r
Midwest Books to Prisoners retweeted
I am saddened by this. Casey has done so much to support political education inside prisons not just through True Leap Press but on his own.
Midwest Books to Prisoners retweeted
after spending over 2 months in a Wisconsin county jail for refusing to cooperate with the grand jury. Hridindu Roychowdhury is back in federal prison in southern Illinois. here is his current address for letters of support & solidarity!
Midwest Books to Prisoners retweeted
#BannedBooksWeek is just around the corner (October 6–12). As we prepare for this week, we want to remind you of the ongoing struggle against prison censorship.
Don't forget that the largest book ban in the United States is behind bars: bookriot.com/books-to-prison…
Midwest Books to Prisoners retweeted
We're beyond proud of IPP Ambassador Fellowship grad Stanley Howard, who just published this powerful op-ed in the Chicago Sun-Times describing the terrors of solitary confinement, and the growing international movement to end it.
Read the full article: chicago.suntimes.com/other-v…
Midwest Books to Prisoners retweeted
Today, Illinois celebrates the second anniversary of the successful implementation of the Pretrial Fairness Act and the end of money bond!
Read our full statement here: endmoneybond.org/2025/09/18/…
Midwest Books to Prisoners retweeted
Amid a debate over whether physical mail is a major entryway for illicit substances in Illinois prisons, the Department of Corrections issued an emergency rule to instead scan mail. But a legislative committee has decided it doesn’t warrant an emergency.
to.wttw.com/46HxITq
Midwest Books to Prisoners retweeted
A legislative panel formally objected to emergency rules that allow the Illinois Department of Corrections to withhold mail from incarcerated people. @peterqhancock reports. loom.ly/l8XZJxM
Midwest Books to Prisoners retweeted
From Palestine to Turtle Island, prisoners continually demonstrate that they are the vanguard of resistance. May we live to one day see every brick and every shackle of these inhumane institutions turned to dust.
“Alligator Alcatraz” is being emptied following a judge’s order & there was an uprising by detainees on Aug 28 after a 14 day hunger strike. Guards used tear gas & beatings..This victory belongs to the captives who fought 4 dignity in unbearable conditions unicornriot.ninja/2025/immig…
Midwest Books to Prisoners retweeted
Check out the zine of our interview with Malik Muhammad, 2020 uprising prisoner and anarchist in the Oregon prison system on conditions inside, solitary confinement, keeping connections with the outside and sources of hope.
This and more at tfsr.media/zines/
ALT zine cover of our interview "2020 Uprising Prisoner Malik Muhammad Speaks from Snake River DC | The Final Straw Radio - August 18, 2025" featuring a sketch of Malik in profile