A Novel Way to Reduce Prison Sentences

An interesting blurb on NPR today mentions that a bill has been approved in Calabria, Italy that would (if passed by the Italian Parliament) reduce prison sentences in exchange for reading books. The plan for reduced sentences is in response to the Government’s ban on prisoners receiving books. Mario Caligiuri, Calabria’s culture representative, said: “Reading is an extraordinary antidote to unhappiness and promotes awareness and social and personal redemption.” Based on Brazil’s “Redemption Through Reading,” this policy will reduce jail time for three days for each book read, and hopefully “increase reading as well as free up space in the area’s prisons.”