Incarcerated Pennsylvanians now have to pay $150 to read. We should all be outraged. - The WaPo.
VeryHiddenGeniusHat Retweeted:Incarcerated Pennsylvanians now have to pay $150 to read. We should all be outraged. - The Washington Post
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Incarcerated Pennsylvanians now have to pay $150 to read. We should all be outraged.
By Jodi Lincoln October 11
Jodi Lincoln is co-chair of Book ’Em, a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit organization that sends free reading material to incarcerated people and prison libraries.
Every year, thousands of people in Pennsylvania prisons write directly to nonprofit organizations such as the one I co-chair with a request for reading material, which we then send to them at no cost. This free access to books has dramatically improved the lives of incarcerated individuals, offering immense emotional and mental relief as well as a key source of rehabilitation.
But as of last month, the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (DOC) has decided to make such rehabilitation much harder. Going forward, books and publications, including legal primers and prison newsletters, cannot be sent directly to incarcerated Pennsylvanians. Instead, if they want access to a book, they must first come up with $147 to purchase a tablet and then pay a private company for electronic versions of their reading material — but only if it’s available among the 8,500 titles offered to them through this new e-book system.
In case you forgot: Incarcerated people are paid less than $1 per hour, and the criminal-justice system disproportionately locks up low-income individuals. Adding insult to injury, most of the e-books available to them for purchase would be available free from Project Gutenberg. And nonpublic domain books in Pennsylvania’s e-book system are more expensive than on other e-book markets. ... This policy, part of a larger trend of censorship in state prisons around the country, should alarm everyone. Not only does it erect a huge financial barrier to books and severely restrict content, it also dehumanizes people in prison.
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Perhaps more alarming is that the head of the Pennsylvania DOC, Secretary John Wetzel, is president of the Association of State Correctional Administrators. If Pennsylvania’s policies remain in place, other states are sure to follow suit. Increasing literacy and education should be an essential part of the correctional apparatus, but by imposing financial barriers to accessing books and restricting content, Pennsylvania is failing to serve the greater good.
Read more:
Nila Bala: There’s a war on books in prisons. It needs to end.
Ann E. Marimow: In a reversal, Md. prison officials lift limits on access to books for inmates
Ann E. Marimow: Federal prisons abruptly cancel policy that made it harder, costlier for inmates to get books
Michael Gerson: No more pits of despair. Offenders are still humans.
Eugene Robinson: In prison reform, a little of something is better than a lot of nothing
= new reply since forum marked as read
You can ask your local prison if you can donate. Everyone in prison has access to books. I actually had a mini lending library in my office when I worked in prison. The guys loved it.
The problem that prisons face is when materials come directly to a particular inmate. In that case, they need to be combed through because of possible messages (which does happen) and drugs (they can actually get drugs ON the stamp. So, a book....well, it's bigger.......).
Most prisons require that books being sent to individual inmates are brand new - and sent directly from the publisher. That way, they don't have to scrutinize it nearly so much.
But if you donate to the prison library - it's another story 
.
Anyway, I'm not defending the policy - just sort of pointing out that no matter how silly a prison regulation is....it has some basis, somewhere - in the experience of the prison system.
This is insane because most of the books were being donated to prisoners from library surplus and private donors. Now they have to pay for everything including internet access.
With an e-reader they should be able to borrow from the on-line libraries. (For example the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh has an extensive online library.) Usually that involves downloading an e-book for no charge and having access for 1, 2, or 3 weeks. Then you're required to delete the book when the lending period is up. There's no reason why prisoners couldn't also take advantage of this system, once they've purchased the e-reader.
This.is.not.right!
I'll start with the premise that this could be done much better (it's prison, that's always the case).
But keep in mind that you can't just give inmates access to the internet 24/7. Well, you can - but imagine what would also happen? Threatening emails, drug deals, and - in the case of very dangerous prisoners - and some gangs - well, they could order a hit on the outside.
That has happened. Mostly, however, it's just threats to ex's or stalking behaviors.
This policy is ONLY for books that inmates are getting sent DIRECTLY to them. They are not getting rid of all their books in the library. I'm guessing that much of the money is being paid to ensure that the device is being monitored.
So, the title is misleading - they still have access to books. But outside agencies - that used to send books, will have restrictions.
I know in most prisons I worked with, btw, you had to send NEW and from the publisher books (that was to prevent contraband - which, as I said above, could be ON the stamp.)
Anyway, I'm not in the know on this - nor did I ever work in security (I have a MSW) - but computers and the internet raises all kinds of security issues. (So did books, sometimes).
I do agree with you, though - that these issues have to be faced. (Even prisons are heading into our century.....it happens 
. How that happens safely - and effectively - well, this doesn't seem to be the way to go.
I assumed they would have internet access in order to download their books, but I guess that isn't possible. So the prisons need to maintain their own dedicated servers and that would increase cost.
Since you're already in library science I'm sure you're aware that there are tons of e-books available for free. I was commenting on what a scam to charge the prisoners anywhere from $3 to $25 per book. Why would they pay that much, and how could they unless there was a black market for e-books? This is just asking for abuse of all kinds.
