Lee Child backs scheme to send half a million books to prisons

Bestselling thriller writer Lee Child has backed a new national campaign that will distribute nearly half a million books across prisons in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland this autumn. The Guardian Culture and The Guardian both reported that the initiative aims to address reoffending rates and support rehabilitation by improving literacy skills among prisoners. [1][2]

According to The Guardian Culture, the charity Reading Agency is delivering the campaign as part of its Quick Reads programme. The initiative will distribute copies of 11 short book titles. The selected books were chosen with direct input from both prisoners and prison staff. [1]

Child, who serves as the first prison reading laureate in the United Kingdom, described the drive to improve literacy skills as a practical way to help rehabilitate offenders. Born James Dover Grant, Child worked for 18 years as a presentation director at Granada Television on television programs such as Prime Suspect and Brideshead Revisited before being made redundant in 1995. [1][4][5]

After moving to the United States, he adopted his pen name and published his debut novel, Killing Floor, in 1997. The book introduced his nomadic former military policeman character Jack Reacher and won the Anthony Award for Best First Novel. [4][5]