April 28, 2025 – The Illinois Department of Corrections has expanded its partnership with Freedom Reads by installing six new Freedom Libraries at Decatur Correctional Center.
The new Freedom Libraries are located in six housing units at Decatur Correctional Center, a women’s facility. This installation is part of a broader expansion that added 22 new libraries across Decatur and Illinois River Correctional Centers. Freedom Libraries were first introduced to Illinois prisons in 2022, with prior installations at Logan and Lincoln Correctional Centers.
“Books are windows to worlds other than our own that allow us to dream beyond current circumstances, and access to them can be a lifeline for incarcerated individuals as an invitation to think, grow, and imagine new possibilities,” said Illinois Department of Corrections Director Latoya Hughes.
In addition to the library expansions, Freedom Reads facilitated book discussions and author events at Decatur Correctional Center as part of the Inside Literary Prize program. Twenty-five incarcerated individuals at Decatur and Western Correctional Centers are serving as judges for the 2025 Inside Literary Prize, selecting from four shortlisted titles. Poet Roger Bonair-Agard also visited Decatur Correctional Center for a poetry reading and book signing event.
