Freedom Reads Opens Libraries Inside Maryland Youth Detention Centers

Freedom Reads, a national nonprofit dedicated to increasing access to literature in prisons, announced today the opening of 15 Freedom Libraries across four Maryland youth detention centers. The initiative provides young people in custody daily access to books—fostering reflection, learning, and self-expression in spaces too often defined by confinement.

Each library, built by formerly incarcerated makers, features a carefully curated youth collection of titles that span poetry, fiction, history, and memoir. Placed directly in cellblocks, the libraries invite spontaneous engagement and ensure that literature is within reach for every reader.

Freedom Reads founder and CEO, Reginald Dwayne Betts, grew up in Maryland and notes that "opening Freedom Libraries in Maryland juvenile facilities reminds me of my own childhood in prison.  It feels like returning to the young man I was, who needed these books. I’m humbled to bring them home."

At one facility, a young reader found an instant connection with a formerly incarcerated member of the Freedom Reads team, bonding over a book they had both read long before the Freedom Library arrived. What followed felt less like an interaction between strangers and more like two readers meeting on common ground—comparing ideas, sharing enthusiasm, and letting a story draw them into conversation. In that exchange, the library was already doing its work: creating space for connection and a place where ideas can be explored freely.

The collaboration between Freedom Reads and the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services reflects a shared commitment to redemption and dignity, and the belief that literature can help young people imagine new possibilities. For those inside, this isn’t just a new library—it’s a chance to see themselves differently and to discover the joy and hope that books can bring.