Reginald Dwayne Betts

Reginald Dwayne Betts went to prison for carjacking at sixteen-years old. Eight years later,

he left as a once-published poet with a paralegal certificate. Since his release on March 4,

2005, Betts has published five books, earned his law degree from Yale Law School, and

secured the release of six people from prison.

A 2021 MacArthur Fellow, Betts transformed his own experience of incarceration into a

platform for advocacy and empowerment. As the Founder and CEO of Freedom Reads, he

is dedicated to opening beautifully crafted libraries in prison cellblocks across the United

States, using literature to create spaces of dignity, reflection, and possibility for those who

are incarcerated.

Beginning with Betts' NAACP Award winning memoir A Question of Freedom, Betts has

positioned himself as a writer grappling with one of the most central problems of our

generation. In poetry and essays, Betts chronicles the complex realities of incarceration,

exploring the seldom discussed ways that people incarcerated strive for dignity. His work

has garnered numerous honors, including fellowships from the National Endowment of the

Arts, Harvard’s Radcliffe Center for Advanced Studies, and the Guggenheim Foundation.

In 2019, Betts won the National Magazine for “Getting Out:, an essay chronicling his

journey from prison to becoming a licensed attorney.

Through his leadership, scholarship, and storytelling, Betts continues to expand access to

literature and illuminate the profound need for justice reform.