Reginald Dwayne Betts spent more than eight years in prison. Today he's a Yale Law graduate, a MacArthur Fellow, and a poet. His nonprofit works to build libraries in prisons so that more incarcerated people can find hope. SOURCES: Reginald Dwayne Betts , founder and director of Freedom Reads, award-winning poet, and lawyer. RESOURCES: Doggerel: Poems , by Reginald Dwayne Betts (2025). “ The Poet Writing on Prison Underwear ,” by Adam Iscoe ( The New Yorker, 2023). The Voltage Effect , by John List (2022). “ If We Truly Believe in Redemption and Second Chances, Parole Should Be Celebrated ,” by Reginald Dwayne Betts ( The Washington Post, 2021). Insurrections , by Rion Scott (2016). The Secret History of Wonder Woman , by Jill Lepore (2014). Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values , by Robert M. Pirsig (1974). The Black Poets , by Dudley Randall (1971). “ For Freckle-Faced Gerald ,” by Etheridge Knight ( Poems from Prison, 1968). Felon: An America Washi Tale, by Reginald Dwayne Betts. Freedom Reads . EXTRAS: “ Can a Moonshot Approach to Mental Health Work? ” by People I (Mostly) Admire (2023). “ Can Data Keep People Out of Prison? ” by People I (Mostly) Admire (2023). “ The Price of Doing Business with John List ,” by People I (Mostly) Admire (2022). “ Why Do Most Ideas Fail to Scale? ” by Freakonomics Radio (2022). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
