The number of workers behind bars who subscribe to the Militant grew from 191 in March 2023 to more than 260 today — a 36% increase in less than a year! And there’s no sign the increase is slowing down. Hundreds more read issues fellow inmates get every week.
The Militant’s geographic reach is also growing. It is now read in more than 120 local, state and federal prisons in 33 states. Over the last several years more women prisoners have also started subscribing to the socialist newsweekly.
The interest in the Militant among prisoners is a reflection of what is happening in the working class more broadly. Working people are looking for ways to defend their interests in the face of the deepening economic, social and moral crisis of capitalism. Workers behind bars want to know what is going on in the world, discuss it with fellow inmates and express their opinion.
Like other workers, most prisoners are horrified by the Tehran-backed Hamas anti-Jewish pogrom in Israel Oct. 7. “Thanks! Thanks!” one Florida prisoner sent with his renewal this month. “The truth must not only be the truth … it must also be told!”
Of course, just like everywhere else, prisoners hold a range of views. “I do not agree with your views on the Israel/Palestine conflict,” wrote a longtime subscriber in a Pennsylvania prison, “however I have that right as you do yours. But your newspaper is of vital importance, so I’m not letting this undercut my support.”
Many prisoners also know the Militant defends their constitutional rights to read the books and periodicals of their choosing, and we fight every effort by prison authorities to bar the paper from reaching its subscribers.
And we are proud of our record of successfully overturning almost every attempt made to suppress the Militant.
The Militant offers a special discount for prisoners: $6 for six months, $12 for a year. Most of our prisoner subscribers find even that is more than they can afford, and we give them a complimentary subscription. Others contribute whatever they can.
Keeping up the complimentary and low cost subscriptions for our fellow workers behind bars costs us over $10,000 a year.
You can help by contributing to the Militant, 306 W. 37th Street, 13th Floor, New York, NY 10018, or online at themilitant.com. Note on your check or money order that your donation is for the “Militant Prisoner Fund.”