A new scheme that offers books to prisoners in police custody has started in London.

Books in the Nick was dreamed up by Metropolitan police special constable Steve Whitmore, after he arrested an 18-year-old on suspicion of assault and possession of drugs earlier this year. The teenager asked Whitmore if he could borrow a book to read while he was in custody, but the special constable could not find anything that would have been of interest to the young man.

“The range and type of books available didn’t appeal to him, so I offered him my own book, The Catcher in the Rye, and told him to keep it,” said Whitmore. “The look on his face was amazing, his attitude and hostility towards me completely changed and it created common ground for us to talk about. He said he’d never been given a book before to own, and that really moved me.”

Special constable Steve Whitmore delivering books to one of the custody suites. Photograph: Give A Book

Whitmore worked with the charity Give a Book to give prisoners who have been detained in all 43 of the Met’s custody suites access to more than 30 books, which they are able to take away for free. The charity, which was set up in memory of the writer Simon Gray and facilitates donations of books to charities and other organisations, has provided titles that include classics such as The Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mockingbird and Animal Farm, as well as graphic novels. The selection also includes poetry, short stories and young adult fiction from authors including Sophie Kinsella, Frederick Forsyth, Andy McNab and Alan Bennett, along with books in foreign languages.

“We tried to select books appropriate to the particular situation,” the charity writes on its website. “The average age for arrested children is 15-17, but children as young as 10 can be arrested or detained. Their parents need to be contacted and a suitable guardian present at the police station. But they can still be detained in a cell overnight with little to occupy them. As Steve says: ‘We aim to change this.’”

Each book includes a leaflet about free education courses, and detainees are also being offered a magazine for young readers called the Week.

“The aim of this scheme is to provide easy-to-read books that are familiar, tangible and can be kept,” said Whitmore. “Our core belief is that to pass on a good read is a transaction of worth.”

Victoria Gray, a trustee of Give a Book, called the project “a brilliant idea and right up our street”.

“We thought carefully about the types of books that should go in – quick reads, short stories, poetry, books that are immediately engaging – and were able to provide them. All the books come through the charity, so it doesn’t cost the Met anything,” said Gray. “Just the act of giving a book can change a difficult situation. It shows you’re being thought about differently. I truly believe that reading can open a door and help turn people’s lives around.”

Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, agreed, calling the scheme “a fantastic idea”.

“I particularly like that people can take the books away with them,” said Crook. “It underlines the importance of books and perhaps prisons could learn from this scene to make sure that there are books in a cell as soon as someone is received into prison. A handful of books on the first night might just make all the difference to reducing distress.”

Gray said that the Give a Book charity would be monitoring the project, and hoped that other institutions might want to follow suit.