BOP backs down on the restrictive book policy

Good news. The federal Bureau of Prisons has rescinded the policy changes that would have made it more expensive and more difficult for inmates to receive books.

Ann E. Marimow at the Washington Post reports:

The restrictions were already in place in facilities in Virginia and California and were set to start this month at a prison in Florida.

Under the rules, inmates in at least four facilities were required to order books only through a prison-approved vendor and, at three of the prisons, to pay an extra 30 percent markup.

The reversal came after two days’ of inquiries from The Washington Post asking about the vendor, the markup and the rationale for the restriction.

Prison officials said in an email Thursday that the bureau had rescinded the memos and will review the policy to “ensure we strike the right balance between maintaining the safety and security of our institutions and inmate access to correspondence and reading materials.” 

Officials declined to identify the vendor and explain the costs added to the book purchase prices.

A "review" should not be necessary to decide that inmate access to correspondence and reading material is essential.

“You shouldn’t have to be rich to read,” said Tara Libert, whose D.C.-based Free Minds Book Club has had reading material returned from two California prisons in recent months and has stopped shipping to two others because of the policy. [My emphasis.]

If the BOP cannot maintain safety and security, they need to work on that. Perhaps the BOP should ask Congress to stop making laws that send more people to prison and for longer sentences. Safety and security are much more manageable in smaller prison populations.

The BOP seems to have backed down on this policy change but keep a watch out for an attempted end-around.