Hello and Questions

[Zuglein]

Hello everyone. Zuglein here. I've been reading the boards for a while now and have gotten a great deal of help. Thanks.
I am Canadian, I write self-help, new age spirituality books, and I am an ex-reporter.
I am not sure where I should be posting the following question so I'll start here. Do US prisons have canteens? Are books sold in them? Do prisons have libraries? What about Canadian and UK prisons? I am asking as I want to add these places to my marketing info.
Thanks for all your help.

[Tish Davidson]

Don't think books are sold in prisons in the US. I do know that the bookmobile (a bus coverted into a moving library) stops at the prison in my county and prisoners can request library books. I think many prisons also have libraries.

[Will Murphy]

Hello,

I actually do think there are books in prison in the US. I am taking a guess here, because there are prison movies such as Escape from Alkatraz that had books, etc...

[Tish Davidson]

Were these books for sale or were they part of the prison library?

[Will Murphy]

They were definetly part of the library. There was this guy who would help a friend of a difference cell by coming along with a book trolly, and he would hand him a book each night.

[LiamJackson]

Generally, U.S. State and Federal prisons have "commissaries" or "pen stores." They would, I think, fit your definition of a canteen. No, books are not sold in them. However, most every prison has a general library. Contents are recommended by librarians and subject to the discretionary approval of the prison administrators in each jurisdiction.

You may want to research the US Federal Bureau of Prisons for more information on the federal prison system. The states are autonomous and would have to be contacted seperately.