The County Library has offered services and resources at the Salt Lake County jail since 1964, including book borrowing and activity sheets for all residents, and a Life Skills program for qualifying individuals, which includes art projects and a book club. Recognizing how disruptive incarceration is to the whole family, the County Library wanted to develop a program that would promote family connection and support literacy and early learning.

With a soft launch in spring 2024 and a full roll-out in summer 2024, the County Library worked with the sworn officers of the Salt Lake County Jail to identify space and procedures for the Read Together program. Children and families visiting an incarcerated individual could pick up a book from the waiting room shelves then take that book into the visiting area to read along with their loved one. After the visit, they get to take the book home with them. Having a book to read during the visit helps family members connect, and provides a familiar and comfortable distraction for children in a stressful environment. The County Library has a small book budget for the program, which is supplemented with leftover prize books from summer and winter reading programs.

Since the program launched in 2024, we have distributed 4,532 books to children and families of incarcerated individuals. One early sign of success was the expansion to offer multiple levels of books. We launched this as an initiative for kids under the age of five, but quickly received requests from visitors of all ages. We added books for school-aged kids, teens, and adults as part of the selection in the waiting room.

In addition to the number of books distributed, we’ve received overwhelming positive feedback from the incarcerated individuals and their families. One grandfather has now developed the habit of having his granddaughter read to him while they wait, after seeing how well she could read at an early visit. One mother, whose husband was soon to be transferred to the state prison, was able to pick books to give to each of her children from the husband.