DEEP in the vast La Sante prison in Paris, law student Morgane is discussing the classic novel "The Outsider" by Albert Camus with one of the prisoners.
Adama finds some of the language tricky, but said reading is a "lifeboat".
"It allows me to escape, to think of something else. I imagine the scenes in my head. It's as if I was directing a TV show," he told AFP.
Morgane is a volunteer with the charity "Lire Pour Sortir" (roughly: "Read to Get Out"), which sees reading as more than a metaphorical form of escape.
It is championing reading as a way to tackle France's overflowing prisons, currently 20 percent over capacity.
Lack of vocabulary is "the number one determining factor in social inequality," said lawyer Alexandre Duval-Stalla, who set up the charity in 2015.
"The more words you have, the better chance of a job, of inserting yourself into life," he told AFP.
A good vocabulary not only helps when speaking to judges, but can also prevent crimes in the first place, he said.
"All this aggression and impulsiveness we find with criminals comes from being unable to express themselves."
- Illiteracy -
Adama's choice of Camus is apt. The Franco-Algerian writer's own mother was illiterate, with a vocabulary of only around 400 words. It was a barrier between them, despite his lifelong devotion.
"The Outsider" also tells the story of a young man who ends up in prison facing the death sentence.
Almost a quarter of France's 72,173 prisoners are illiterate, according to government figures.
French prisons are required to have libraries, but not librarians -- who encourage reading, help detainees and organise cultural programmes.
Pressure is mounting. A new law, in force since January, scrapped automatic sentence reductions for good behaviour -- detainees must now show they have engaged with a cultural or work programme.
But lack of resources means many are unable to access the necessary programmes.
Lire Pour Sortir wants to help fill the gap and will double its volunteer network to 500 by 2024. But even then, it will still be in only 50 of France's 187 prisons.
- Perspective -
Books help perform the work that would ideally be done by psychologists if the resources existed, said Duval-Stalla.
"Criminals rarely put themselves in another person's shoes. Books allow them to live the stories of other people, and that's very important. Words give you perspective and the tools for reflection," he said.
La Sante, which was recently renovated, could provide an example.
Lire Pour Sortir runs its library and hired a professional librarian. Neat and tidy, with posters on the wall and an atmosphere of calm -- it could be the library of a small village, if not for the bars on the windows and guards at the door.
But with only 20 inmates permitted at a time, the waiting list is long. "We are victims of our own success," said its librarian Jean-Baptiste Devouassoux.
"We know what keeps people out of prison -- a job, housing, a family," said Duval-Stalla. "But also the capacity to express and understand yourself -- and that requires words."
ETX Studio
Sun Apr 09 2023
![Why books could help empty France's prisons Why books could help empty France's prisons](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2023-04/81680704936_LirePourSortir.jpg)
The charity "Lire Pour Sortir" (roughly: "Read to Get Out"), sees reading as more than a metaphorical form of escape. - ETX Studio
![Ekonomi China teruskan momentum pemulihan Ekonomi China teruskan momentum pemulihan](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2023-01/71674060668_ChinaPopulation.jpg)
Ekonomi China teruskan momentum pemulihan
Ekonomi China meneruskan momentum pemulihan dan trend perkembangan ke arah baik dengan operasinya kekal stabil secara keseluruhannya pada separuh pertama tahun ini.
![PPZ-MAIWP catat RM511 juta kutipan zakat tahun ini, naik 10 peratus PPZ-MAIWP catat RM511 juta kutipan zakat tahun ini, naik 10 peratus](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-04/61714481430_TBNAIM.jpg)
PPZ-MAIWP catat RM511 juta kutipan zakat tahun ini, naik 10 peratus
PPZ-MAIWP mencatat kutipan zakat sebanyak RM511 juta dari Januari hingga Jun tahun ini dengan peningkatan sebanyak 10 peratus berbanding tempoh sama pada 2023.
![Empat terbunuh, puluhan cedera dalam protes antikuota di Bangladesh Empat terbunuh, puluhan cedera dalam protes antikuota di Bangladesh](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/71721144143_TBBANGLADESHCAMPUS.jpg)
Empat terbunuh, puluhan cedera dalam protes antikuota di Bangladesh
Abu Sayeed, seorang daripada penyelaras dan pelajar di Universiti Begum Rokeya di Rangpur utara, terbunuh semasa pertempuran dengan polis.
![28 orang termasuk 5 orang awam, 10 askar, terbunuh dalam tempoh 24 jam di Pakistan 28 orang termasuk 5 orang awam, 10 askar, terbunuh dalam tempoh 24 jam di Pakistan](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/51721144906_TBMAPBANNU.jpg)
28 orang termasuk 5 orang awam, 10 askar, terbunuh dalam tempoh 24 jam di Pakistan
Tentera menuding jari kepada kumpulan Hafiz Gul Bahadur dari Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) yang diharamkan.
![Misi ekonomi produk agrikomoditi ke India perkukuh hubungan dua hala Misi ekonomi produk agrikomoditi ke India perkukuh hubungan dua hala](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/61721130378_JohariAbdulGhani.jpg)
Misi ekonomi produk agrikomoditi ke India perkukuh hubungan dua hala
KPK akan mengadakan Misi Ekonomi Produk Agrikomoditi Malaysia ke India pada 17-18 Julai ini.
![Golongan belia pemacu penting bentuk masa depan industri pembuatan Malaysia - FMM Golongan belia pemacu penting bentuk masa depan industri pembuatan Malaysia - FMM](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-05/41715247870_SohThianLaijpg.jpg)
Golongan belia pemacu penting bentuk masa depan industri pembuatan Malaysia - FMM
Pemimpin perniagaan dan usahawan daripada golongan belia merupakan pemacu penting yang akan membentuk masa depan industri pembuatan Malaysia, kata Presiden Persekutuan Pekilang-Pekilang Malaysia.
AWANI Tonight: 16 July 2024
#AWANITonight with @Hafiz_Marzukhi
1. Govt mulls amending Penal Code to deal with cyberbullying
2. England's Southgate resigns after Euro 2024 Final defeat
#AWANIEnglish #AWANINews
1. Govt mulls amending Penal Code to deal with cyberbullying
2. England's Southgate resigns after Euro 2024 Final defeat
#AWANIEnglish #AWANINews
![9,241 pelajar Palestin terbunuh dalam serangan Israel sejak 7 Oktober 9,241 pelajar Palestin terbunuh dalam serangan Israel sejak 7 Oktober](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-06/81718630490_Smokerises.jpg)
9,241 pelajar Palestin terbunuh dalam serangan Israel sejak 7 Oktober
9,318 pelajar terbunuh dan 14,671 lagi cedera di Semenanjung Gaza manakala di Tebing Barat, 103 pelajar terbunuh dan 505 lagi cedera.
![Penumpang Singapore Airlines meningkat hampir 14 peratus pada Jun Penumpang Singapore Airlines meningkat hampir 14 peratus pada Jun](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/61721142800_AirbusA.jpg)
Penumpang Singapore Airlines meningkat hampir 14 peratus pada Jun
Rangkaian penumpang Kumpulan SIA meliputi 125 destinasi setakat Jun dan rangkaian kargo terdiri daripada 129 destinasi.
![Empat individu termasuk pasangan pempengaruh bebas tahanan reman Empat individu termasuk pasangan pempengaruh bebas tahanan reman](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-05/41716613114_TBsprm.jpg)
Empat individu termasuk pasangan pempengaruh bebas tahanan reman
Kesemua individu juga perlu hadir ke pejabat Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) sebulan sekali untuk melaporkan diri.