The Arkansas Board of Corrections approved the change, which a Department of Corrections spokesperson said takes effect on Feb. 1. Prison officials said the restriction was needed in order to tamp down on contraband being smuggled into prisons.
Critics say such restrictions, however, severely limit access for people in prison to reading materials since the offerings in prison libraries and on prison-issued tablets can be limited or outdated.
The board approved the policy with no audible dissent.
Arkansas prisons already banned certain materials. Books with a map of the state or with the word “escape” in the title are prohibited, according to a Freedom of Information Act request the Arkansas Advocate filed earlier this year, and prison libraries are also prohibited from having physical magazines or newspapers.
Donations of books by nonprofit groups or local libraries to prison libraries will still be allowed under the new policy, according to Department of Corrections spokesperson Rand Champion. The new policy only restricts how books are brought into the prisons, without banning physical media outright.
BOC Chairman Benny Magness said the change was necessary to prevent drugs and other contraband from making its way into prisons during the meeting. “K2 is killing our inmates,” he said.
Division of Correction Director Dexter Payne said 50,000 books were available via the tablets. Almost all people housed in ADC facilities have a tablet only those in “punitive isolation” do not.
Board member Lona McCastlain expressed concerns about continuing to ensure people in prison have access to the books they wish to read, saying it was important the board emphasized books would still be available.
“They can’t be brought in by Joe Blow off the street. We can get them. As long as they’re available, they’re not banned,” she said.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas criticized the move.
“This is an unnecessary and dramatic restriction on prisoners and their rights,” said Holly Dickson, ACLU of Arkansas executive director. “Rather than restricting rights to cut costs, and exacerbating the overcrowding crisis, Arkansas needs to ensure we have sufficient staff and funding to provide constitutional conditions and care for all who are imprisoned.”
This is not the first time Arkansas has restricted how those in prison obtain books. According to NPR, Arkansas was one of a number of states that prohibited nonprofits from sending books to people in prison who had requested a specific title, only allowing the organizations to donate books to prison libraries.
Prison-issued tablets often do not bridge the gap when access to physical books is curtailed, according to the Prison Policy Initiative, a nonprofit dedicated to “exposing the broader harm of mass incarceration.”
“Prisons often claim that the addition of tablets behind bars will increase access to books, despite other book bans they have implemented,” the organization said on its website. “Unfortunately, though, because of limited and outdated ebook selections, tablets are not living up to their potential and likely aren’t even filling the emerging book-gap.”
The Department of Corrections does not have a list of books available on its Securus tablets on its website, so it is unclear how up-to-date its book offerings are.
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI