Author Lee Child has been appointed the first Prison Reading Laureate, a new Ministry of Justice role designed to strengthen literacy in prisons and support rehabilitation. The appointment was confirmed on 27 January 2026 and sits within the National Year of Reading 2026 programme. (gov.uk)
Official data indicate the scale of need: in 2022–23, 65% of prisoners taking English initial assessments were at Entry Levels 1–3, which is below GCSE level. Government material describes more than two‑thirds of entrants as reading below that standard, limiting prospects for work and stability on release. (questions-statements.parliament.uk)
The Ministry of Justice says the laureate will promote reading across the prison estate and bring partners together to widen access to materials and activities. Child will first expand a literacy pilot begun in 2025 with MP Paul Davies, increasing author visits and embedding reading within rehabilitation programmes. (gov.uk)
Prisons Minister Lord Timpson said education, including reading, helps people turn their lives around, describing the laureate as a “powerful influence” on efforts to reduce reoffending and improve public safety. (gov.uk)
Lee Child characterised the initiative as practical rather than lenient, arguing that prisoners who leave better equipped to read and learn are less likely to reoffend and that communities benefit as a result. (gov.uk)
The role aligns with the Department for Education’s National Year of Reading 2026, delivered with the National Literacy Trust under the ‘Go All In’ banner launched on 13 January 2026. The campaign provides resources for schools, libraries and the criminal justice sector. (gov.uk)
Delivery capacity is being strengthened across prisons. HMPPS launched a National Reading Framework in April 2024, and every prison now has a reading strategy. Heads of Education, Skills and Work are in post across the estate, with enhanced screening for reading and ESOL built into new core education contracts. (gov.uk)
Sector partners will support activity throughout the year. The Shannon Trust’s Turning Pages operates in nearly all prisons; Bang‑Up Books has donated over 150,000 books; and programmes from the National Literacy Trust, Prison Reading Groups, Storybook Mums and Dads, and The Reading Agency’s Quick Reads are part of the offer. (questions-statements.parliament.uk)
For governors and education leads, the laureate provides a clear focus to integrate peer‑to‑peer reading schemes, author events and stronger library provision into purposeful activity plans. Progress will feed into existing HMPPS performance measures, including employment at six months following release. (gov.uk)
Inspection evidence shows uneven progress. HM Inspectorate of Prisons’ Reading for rehabilitation thematic, published on 13 January 2026, reported excellent practice in some prisons but found reading remains insufficiently prioritised in many. The laureate aims to help drive consistent improvement. (hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk)
The laureate is an annual appointment with scope to prioritise areas such as support for prisoners’ children, creative writing and links to post‑release employment in publishing. Child’s first‑year focus will be expanding author engagement and demonstrating the benefits of reading to rehabilitation. (gov.uk)