Books take us to places we cannot physically reach, giving us the power and freedom to explore the world through our mind’s eye. This is especially true in prisons where inmates stay behind bars as penance for past sins. However, due to the lack of available books in Malaysian prison libraries, inmates rarely get the chance to read new material and often feel stifled by the lack of options. Enter the Buku Beyond Bars initiative.
Confined in prison, the days are especially long and time outside is exceedingly rare, which makes reading a valuable pastime. Former death row inmate Encik Razali shared with the Malaysian Centre for Constitutionalism and Human Rights (MCCHR) that because of the book shortage, paperbacks and hardcovers have become prized possessions despite prisoners having to read them repeatedly. The MCCHR and the Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (Adpan) aims to improve this situation with Buku Beyond Bars, an initiative that aims to collect secondhand books from local communities and donate them to prison libraries.
Photos from MCCHR
Photos from MCCHR
The idea for the initiative came from a former death row inmate at Sungai Buloh Prison in Selangor, Razali Ahmad. During his time in prison, he shared with MCCHR that inmates were only allowed an hour a day for recreational activities outside their cells. Hence, books helped him spend his idle time doing something productive. “Many of us even read the same books over and over again until they were falling apart, such as the copy of Ahadiat Akashah’s novel Lagenda Budak Setan (1985), which was very popular,” he shared with The Star.
With this valuable insight, Buku Beyond Bars was launched in November 2024, becoming a valuable way to foster rehabilitation, personal growth, and mental well-being for the prison community. With the combined efforts of MCCHR and Adpan, Buku Beyond Bars slowly but surely increased the availability and accessibility of informative and meaningful reading materials in Malaysian prisons. Aside from this, the initiative has also become a great avenue to freecycle books—from old classics, to used collections, to any book that needs a new home.
The initial run was a success, bringing in huge support from the community and book publishers, and donating thousands of books to Penjara Sungai Buloh, Penjara Lelaki Kajang and Penjara Wanita Kajang. “Since launching the initiative, we’ve been deeply moved by the outpouring of support…We are sincerely grateful to everyone who has donated and to those who have helped spread the word,” shared MCCHR in a social media post. While Buku Beyond Bars is currently on hiatus, the initiative is set to return with its latest run, so follow MCCHR on Facebook and Instagram for updates!
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