Prisons Ban Books (Except the Bible)

[marmar]

via AlterNet:




The Loop 21 / By Nadra Kareem Nittle

Prisons Ban Books (Except the Bible)
Nationwide, the works of Toni Morrison, Sojourner Truth and even Shakespeare have reportedly been banned in prisons.

May 20, 2011 |


When Malcolm X made the transition from a crimminal to a Civil Rights icon he credited the books he was able to read while in prison for his success. But the catalyst that took a man from the streets to the history books is often denied to those incarcerated today as many U.S. prisons have started banning most reading materials.

Nationwide, the works of Toni Morrison and Sojourner Truth have reportedly been banned in prisons, even Shakespeare. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a suit against the Berkeley County Jail in South Carolina, because inmates there are allegedly only allowed to read the Bible. And by July this year, the Connecticut Department of Corrections plans to further limit the books inmates there can read over concerns that an ex-con took part in the notorious Petit family murders in 2007 after reading violent books in prison.

“The idea that this horrific crime was a result of what they read in jail and not other factors is simplistic,” said David C. Fathi, director of the ACLU’s National Prison Project, to theLoop21. “The Bible contains many scenes of appalling violence and cruelty, but no one suggests that prisoners should not be allowed to read the Bible.”

A publication called the Prison Legal News (PLN), which produces materials informing inmates of their rights, is the plaintiff in the ACLU’s lawsuit against Berkeley County Detention Center, along with the U.S. Justice Department. In 2008, a staffer at the jail allegedly told a PLN staffer that the publication was banned there due to its Bible-only policy. ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/story/151026/prisons_ban_books_%28except_the_bible%29/

[Fumesucker]

1. The Bible has incest, murder, prostitution, genocide, fratricide..

You name it and the sin is in there..

:crazy:

[ixion]

2. Indeed. Saying you're going to get 'biblical' on someone is worse than saying

you're going to get Medieval on them.

[RandomThoughts]

3. That is a que to post a clip from a movie.

And it is criminal and wrong to limit peoples reading in prison.

If they ban books in prisons, and think that the USA is a prison camp for the wealthy, you know what will happen next, attempted censorship of ideas on TV and the Internet.

Going to play this song again instead.


Stephen King's: The Stand | Calling All Angels
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_FNAhBeBZM

[Jim__]

4. Prison brutalizes prisoners.

If they're really concerned about the crimes ex-prisoners commit, they should fix the penal system.

[rfranklin]

5. Violates the establishment clause...

This is promoting religion.

[LuvNewcastle]

6. I grew up with people ramming the Bible

down my throat and there were some terrible consequences. Doing this to a group of people who already have serious anger issues is irresponsible at best.

[bengalherder]

7. Wow, they really are about a century behind there.

The quaint, Victorian cruelty combined with the fear of the penny dreadfuls slays me.

[The Backlash Cometh]

8. What about jailhouse lawyers?

Can't they insist one getting hands on legal books?

[Uncle Joe]

9. Masters never did want their slaves to read.

I wonder if South Carolina is leading the way toward adopting a for profit prison system?

Thanks for the thread, marmar.