Lee Child backs launch of reading scheme to send prisons half a million books

‘Proper books, proper storytellers’ … author Lee Child, third right, and Jake Richards MP talk to inmates in HMP Doncaster. ‘Proper books, proper storytellers’ … author Lee Child, third right, and Jake Richards MP talk to inmates in HMP Doncaster. Books Lee Child backs launch of reading scheme to send prisons half a million books The Jack Reacher author, the UK’s first prison reading laureate, said drive to improve literacy skills was a practical way to address reoffending and support rehabilitation

Emma Loffhagen Fri 16 Oct 2026 00.01 BST Last modified on Fri 16 Oct 2026 05.25 BST Share Prefer the Guardian on Google Nearly half a million books will be distributed across prisons in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland this autumn, in a campaign backed by bestselling thriller writer Lee Child .