“Every prison has to have a library. Not so every school.”

Very disappointed to hear @bbcnickrobinson use this headline for a piece promoting school libraries on @BBCr4today this morning. I suspect (hope) it was used to grab attention. However, it is a dangerous statement. 1/8

The case for the development of school libraries is already compelling. There is no need to bring up library provision in prisons for comparison – it adds nothing, it does not make the case for school libraries stronger. 2/8

Instead, doing so suggests that prisoners are less deserving than school children. It undermines the good work libraries do in prisons. It substantially weakens the case for prison libraries. It puts prison libraries at risk. 3/8

Prison libraries do critical work. They are a key part of educational provision in prisons. They facilitate rehabilitation. Crucially, they help to sustain prisoners’ mental health, especially when prisoners are locked in cells for long stretches of time. 4/8

These benefits were realized as early as the turn of the 19th century when the first prison libraries were established in England. 5/8

It is worth remembering that prisoners cannot (generally speaking) access other public library facilities. Sending books into prisons is difficult and dependent on the whims of authority (or politicians – remember Chris Grayling's book ban in 2014?) 6/8

It’s great to see school libraries getting attention today. More funding here is urgently needed. But the debate should focus on the evidence which relates to school libraries; it is abundant and robust. 7/8

To counter this morning’s unfortunate ‘blip’, perhaps @BBCr4today would like to broadcast a positive story on prison libraries? There are many who could assist with that, including @PrisonersEd, @cjalliance, @PRG_UK 8/8.