Singer-Songwriter Dua Lipa shines light on Books Unlocked literacy programme in visit to HMP Downview prison

Singer-songwriter Dua Lipa visited Downview Women's Prison in Surrey last week to experience the Books Unlocked programme firsthand. Now in its tenth year, Books Unlocked is a prison literacy programme run by the National Literacy Trust in association with the Booker Prize Foundation.

Books Unlocked provides free copies of Booker Prize longlisted and shortlisted titles for participants to read, discuss and keep. The authors of these titles regularly visit prison and community reading groups as part of the programme.

The programme started with a phone call 10 years ago to Alan Smith, Prison Libraries Coordinator for Staffordshire's seven prisons. It began with a simple proposition: to gather a group of young people from HMP (then Her Majesty's Prisons) Young Offender's Institute in Brinsford to read a book together in the library.

Smith, later one of the founders of Books Unlocked, remembered: "The book was Stephen Kelman's Pidgeon English and the reading group experience was life-changing for all involved. As we read and discussed the novel, social barriers were broken, a sense of connection and trust was established within the group and, by the final page, friendships had been formed and a better understanding of ourselves as individuals and readers had emerged."

Author Stephen Kelman's visit to the prison was the start of Books Unlocked. It was based on a simple philosophy: people in custody should have access to quality literature to support their development as readers and ensure they are part of a wider cultural conversation.

It was a huge success, with the programme scaling new heights in the years since. Books Unlocked has now reached 95 prisons in the UK, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and has donated 15,000 books to prison reading groups.

The programme also works with National Prison Radio, broadcasting serialised Booker titles into 80,000 cells every night. Listeners are encouraged to write to the programme to request a physical copy of a book, which is then sent to them directly to keep.

Books Unlocked has brought great benefits to people in custody. It is estimated that 60 per cent of the prison population has problems with literacy. The programme brings quality books into cells and enriches the lives of these individuals.

Not only has the programme improved literacy skills but also aided well-being. It has provided individuals with the opportunity to forge friendships and find solace in fiction, in what are, for most people, painfully isolating circumstances.

In comments that point to the mental health benefits of the programme, as well as soft skills development, one participant from HMP Lewes, said of the programme: "It is always good to hear the opinion of others. It is also good to share the enthusiasm for a book and to feed off the enthusiasm of others. I think I have become more patient and more accepting of the opinions of others."

Dua Lipa is an enthusiastic proponent of reading and in May 2023, launched the Service95 book club, part of the artist's online cultural and lifestyle platform of the same name.

The reading group Lipa visited was discussing "Shuggie Bain", the 2020 debut novel of Scottish-American author Douglas Stuart. It tells the story of the youngest of three children, Shuggie, growing up with his alcoholic mother Agnes in 1980s post-industrial working-class Glasgow.

Reflecting on her meeting with the women of Downview, Lipa recalled: "At the time, what was happening in the room was women were talking about 'oh what was that book that you told me to read?'... It felt like the conversation was really flowing throughout the room and it felt very exciting. It was nice to see a real sense of support in the room."

Her Majesty the Queen Consort – then the Duchess of Cornwall – also showed her support for the initiative when she visited a Books Unlocked reading group at HMP Brixton in London in 2016.

In yet another highlight, the programme helped foster links between the custodial population and the local community in an initiative in Oxfordshire in 2018 – a potential breakthrough in helping inmates assimilate upon release.

The library service at HMP Huntercombe in Oxfordshire County teamed up with the National Literacy Trust and the local Soha Housing association to bring a group of Soha residents and staff together with Huntercombe inmates in the "Break Barriers Book Club".

The Oxfordshire County Council-run library service at HMP Huntercombe, a Category C men's prison near Henley, has teamed up with the National Literacy Trust and Soha Housing Association to create a more inclusive book club.

The book discussed by the group was none other than Books Unlocked's debut novel, 'Pidgeon English'. Author Stephen Kelman also visited the book club on the occasion.

Paul Crossey, Deputy Governor at HMP Huntercombe, said: "As all of our men here will be released at some point, it is important that we do everything we can to help them avoid reoffending. When members of the community, prison staff and prisoners come together in the library to talk about books and our common characteristics, it breaks down barriers and gives the men hope that they can turn away from a life of crime."

As criminal justice systems attempt to incorporate a greater degree of restorative justice practices, initiatives such as Books Unlocked are helping to pave the way. Part of the philosophy of restorative justice is to assist the reintegration of offenders into society and to prevent re-offending.