Arizona prisons urged to end ban on book about black men
Source: Associated Press
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS | MAY 21, 2019 AT 7:25 PM
UPDATED: MAY 21, 2019 AT 9:34 PM
This cover image released by The New Press shows "Chokehold: Policing Black Men" by Paul Butler. Arizona has banned prisoners from reading the book that discusses the impact of the criminal justice system on black men, drawing outcry from First Amendment advocates who say the move is censorship. (The New Press via The AP)
PHOENIX (AP) Arizona has banned prisoners from reading a book that discusses the impact of the criminal justice system on black men, drawing outcry from First Amendment advocates who say the move is censorship.
The American Civil Liberties Union called on the Arizona Department of Corrections this week to rescind the ban on Chokehold: Policing Black Men. The book by Paul Butler, a former federal prosecutor, examines law enforcement and mass incarceration through its treatment of African American men.
In order for them to ban a book, they have to show the restriction is related to a legitimate prison interest, said Emerson Sykes, an ACLU attorney. Theres no interest to keep inmates from learning about the criminal justice system and policing.
Read more: https://ktar.com/story/2583163/arizona-prisons-ban-book-on-black-men-in-the-justice-system/