Behind the Walls began with MDPLS staff visiting local prisons to promote library services available to that population. COVID-19 shutdowns and raising COVID-19 rates of the incarcerated made continuing impossible. According to the Prison Policy Initiative, “People in prison have been 5.5 times more likely to get COVID-19 and have suffered a COVID-19 mortality rate 3 times higher than the general public.” MDPLS sought to find a way to continue assisting underserved incarcerated individuals safely.

The shift from in-person outreach inside of correctional facilities to a mail-in reference program enables Behind the Walls to still provide library service to the incarcerated and keep library staff safe. Participants directly mail letters to MDPLS, and a librarian personally mails back a response to inquiries. With mail-in reference, the scope of service was widened and letters are now received from all over the state of Florida.

Pivoting to mail-in service was well received and program success is demonstrated by two factors. Staff have received some Thank You letters, supplies of which are paid for by the incarcerated using commissary funds. Secondly, since the transition, Behind the Walls has responded to 32 letters and continues to receive new letters regularly. MDPLS hopes to expand service in the future nationwide.