WHITE HALL, ARKANSAS- Taking effect on February 1st, Arkansas inmates will no longer be able to receive books, newspapers, or magazines. This comes as the Arkansas Board of Corrections approved a new policy on December 19th.
Prison officials cite the smuggling of contraband has inspired the change. The Board of Corrections approved the policy with no audible protest or dissent.
Arkansas is not the first state to take actions such as this; The states of Missouri and Tennessee have also joined in not allowing groups such as publishers from sending free books to prisoners, citing fears of contraband. The state of Arkansas is also on this list but the issue had not made it to oversight of the board of corrections until last month.
Prisons in The State of Arkansas have already banned many materials. Books with a map of the state or the word “escape” are prohibited in Arkansas state prisons. In accordance with a Freedom of Information act in the state filed with agencies such as The Arkansas Advocate & other newspaper companies, particularly newspapers are prohibited. Many of these policies have been taken into effect in Arkansas state prison libraries.
According to BOC chairman Dexter Payne; 50,000 books were available on prison owned tablets. Almost all people housed in ADC facilities own a tablet and only those in “punitive isolation” do not.
Democrats in the state have given some pushback on the policy, mostly claiming they violate the rights of prisoners.
