Prison Book Ban Threatens Rehabilitation and Fuels Injustice

Shakeil Price shares how a prison book ban in New Jersey threatens his only lifeline to education, rehabilitation, and hope.

I’ve been locked up for 17 long, stressful, depressing years. In that time period, reading has been my saving grace. Without access to a good book, I don’t know how I would’ve survived this long. I’ve spent countless hours with my nose in between the creases of a book, diving deep into the lines on the page in an attempt to escape from my reality. That’s how I cope. In essence, reading has become an addiction. I feed that addiction by using books-to-prisoners programs like Books Through Bars, Prison Book Program, and Prisoners Literature Project that donate used books to prisoners free of charge.

New Jersey’s Prison Book Ban Threatens Access to Knowledge

I was extremely broken up when I heard that the New Jersey Department of Corrections was enacting a “temporary” book ban, suspending used books from coming into the prison. They announced that this directive is temporary, but I’ve seen this trick before. Once they take a right or privilege away, they don’t give it back. Unless you fight. Fight them with grievances and fight them in court.

This new book ban policy is going to cut off the main supply for me to get my book fix. I’ll have to lean on family and friends to support my reading habit. They’re already struggling with financial issues of their own as it is. The economy is terrible. Now here I am asking for some money for some damn books. I hate being a burden, but I don’t have any other options. My prison job as a teacher’s assistant only pays $5 per day. I have to buy food, hygiene products, and prepay collect calls with that money.

Even with a tight budget, I still spend well over $200 a year on books. The genre of books I prefer to read can run anywhere from $25 to $90 per brand new book. Those used, donated books came in handy. My personal preference is historical studies on ancient African civilizations. I also enjoy reading anthropologies and biographies. I don’t read “hood novels” under any circumstances. It’s nothing against anybody that does, but I personally don’t think they’re entertaining or enlightening.

NJDOC’s Justification for the Book Ban

The memorandum they sent out to the prison population reads as follows:

“As the New Jersey Department of Corrections continues to move forward with efforts to eliminate contraband and prevent the introduction of unauthorized items into our facilities, effective immediately, the acceptance of used publications is temporarily suspended. The Department is reviewing current policies and procedures to ensure a safe, fair, and consistent means of delivery for publications across all NJDOC facilities. Further guidance will be provided as policies are reviewed and updated.”

Misplaced Blame and Misleading Narratives

For years, the NJDOC has deceived the public, claiming that massive amounts of drugs are being smuggled in through the mail and by visitors. In reality, the largest culprits are officers themselves. Sting after sting, bust after bust, officers keep getting jammed up for smuggling cell phones and drug paraphernalia into prisons and jails. But model prisoners like myself are left to bear the burden of these corrupt authority figures’ conduct.

It’s bad enough they already censor what type of literature you can read by banning anything socially conscious. Message to the Blackman in America, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Assata, and Soledad Brother are all on the banned list. Now they’re taking it a step further with a book ban on used books, cutting off a crucial source of knowledge. It’s evident the system is designed to facilitate punishment over rehabilitation.

The NJDOC should be promoting and encouraging prisoners to read and expand their minds, not enforcing a book ban that restricts access to education and self-improvement. Once a person changes his thinking, his ways and actions are sure to follow. That’s why I transformed my negative addiction into a positive one—because knowledge is the foundation.

Enjoy this story? Read more: Shakeil Price on His First Day in Prison

The post Prison Book Ban Threatens Rehabilitation and Fuels Injustice first appeared on Prison Writers.