A local legal aid group is working to bring books directly to those who need them the most – incarcerated people at Rikers Island.

According to the Department of Justice, there’s a direct link between crime and reading failures. The DOJ says over 70% of people incarcerated in U.S. prisons can’t read above a fourth-grade level.

The Bronx Defenders organized a book drive, partnering with Word Up Bookstore to bring a collection of books to Rikers Island for inmates to read.

Word Up and Bronx Defenders sent over 100 books to the correctional facility. They say that this access to literature is essential to helping out the inmates.

“Any issues they might be facing inside the jail, a lot of those issues have to do with getting medical health care, any sort of basic needs that they might not have access to,” said Indigo Griffith of Bronx Defenders. “Books for our clients are really a lifeline to the outside world.”