In this article the three authors report the results of an exploratory study conducted at the Rebibbia Women’s Penitentiary Institute. The study used silent books (i.e., wordless picture books) during reading group meetings with two major aims: (1) to increase reading among inmates, especially among lower-literacy prisoners; and (2) to make the reading room a shared space where to build a community and to foster a sense of control over one’s own lifes in prisoners.