A new Knowledge Exchange project from the University of Sheffield aims to strengthen the support libraries provide to people in prison, their families and those returning to their communities.
Led by Dr Jayne Finlay from the School of Information, Journalism and Communication, the project is being delivered in partnership with the Ministry of Justice. It will explore how prison and public libraries are supporting people at different stages of the criminal justice journey, working with practitioners and policymakers across libraries, prisons and probation to identify what works and share good practice, developing more joined-up approaches across the criminal justice system.
The project, entitled ‘Strengthening library provision across the criminal justice system’, comes at a time of renewed national attention on the role of reading and libraries in criminal justice settings. Recent reports from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons and Ofsted have highlighted the importance of reading education and the role prison libraries can play in creating a culture of reading across the prison estate. This growing recognition was reflected in a recent HMPPS Insights event exploring the power of reading in justice settings, held as part of the National Year of Reading.
Dr Finlay, Lecturer in Librarianship, said: “Through my work with practitioners and policymakers, I’ve seen how much innovative work is already happening in prison and public libraries. But this knowledge isn’t always shared, and other stakeholders in the criminal justice system aren’t always aware of what libraries can offer. This project aims to identify and share good practice, strengthen collaboration and connect people across the system, ultimately improving support for people and families affected by incarceration.”
The project will develop a ‘good practice bank’, capturing information on how prison and public libraries support people at different stages of the criminal justice journey. It will also produce guides about using public libraries, alongside a practical toolkit for public library staff. Policy briefings will provide recommendations for the Ministry of Justice as they seek to develop a new framework for adult education and library services in prison. These resources will be shaped through stakeholder workshops bringing together people from across the library and criminal justice sectors, with findings and recommendations presented at a final policy event in Sheffield.
The project builds on Dr Finlay’s previous work examining and strengthening library provision for communities impacted by incarceration. This includes Prison Library Connect, a knowledge exchange website developed with the CILIP Prison Libraries Group; an established Community of Practice bringing together prison and public library practitioners (run in collaboration with the British Library’s Living Knowledge Network and CILIP Prison Libraries Group); and research into contemporary prison library provision in the UK, including a 2025 national report on prison libraries in England and Wales.