Inmates at Bermuda’s prisons can explore law, education, history and other topics through the pages of a recent community donation.

The Bermuda Equal Justice Initiative organised the gift of 1,000 books and 15 tablets to the Department of Corrections.

Eron Hill, BEJI founder and executive director, said: “[These resources] are not just simply reading materials; they are instruments of empowerment.”

He added: “They are a pathway for individuals to better understand the system that they are navigating, to prepare their cases and understand their history.”

The donated books, which were dropped off at the Department of Corrections headquarters yesterday, ranged from legal texts and biographies to business and economics.

Mr Hill added: “This is about humanity and dignity for those who are behind these walls because one day they will rejoin us in society and we must be ready to prepare them.”

Representatives from Future Leaders Bermuda donated every book from the charity’s Roose’s Book Club, which aims to promote understanding and solidarity through reading and dialogue.

Lawyer Ryan Robinson Perinchief, the founder and executive director of Future Leaders Bermuda, said the book club curriculum traced the history of Bermudians and the impact of “racism, colonialism and historical injustice on the diaspora which, based on research, are some of the root causes which impact our incarcerated population, and all of us in Bermuda”.

Kim Wilkerson, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, said her ministry, which recently took the reins of the Department of Corrections, aimed to “return our brothers and sisters back to society better and more armed from when they came, to do well in society”.

Lisa Brewster, the Department of Corrections education officer, manages the libraries at Westgate and the Co-ed facility.

She explained: “When you are incarcerated, you might have a limited view, so reading will expand the imagination.”

Members of the public have donated books for this initiative for roughly a year so far, with donations ongoing.

Mr Hill believes the donation marks the start of “a very fruitful partnership with community organisations and the Department of Corrections”.

He added: “Ultimately, this is not about the number of books that will be at each facility. It’s about the number of lives that can be transformed by having access to this educational material.”

Keeva Joell-Benjamin, the Commissioner of Corrections, said: “When we partner with people, it’s not just about us being in a silo — we are part of the community.

“Those in our custody will be in our community at some time, so we appreciate the donations you have given us today. They will be put to use by Ms Brewster and her team.”