In case you were wondering what sort of rules applied to the reading material that convicts have access to, Slate has an article that gives a little insight.

As you can see from the attached image of the Publication Review/Denial Notice, there are at least six things that will lead to reading material being banned:

  • Containing contraband.
  • Having information regarding the manufacture of drugs, weapons, or explosives.
  • Having the sole purpose of inciting riots or other breakdowns in order at the prison.
  • Encouraging homosexual or deviant behavior.
  • Having information on how to run criminal schemes.
  • Containing sexually explicit images

Well, like anything run by a state bureaucracy, some of it makes sense, some of it doesn’t, and there’s probably no point in bemoaning the rules. So if you’re thinking about making a donation, don’t bother sending Heather Has Two Mommies, The Anarchist Cookbook, or even Eleven Days in Hell: The 1974 Carrasco Prison Siege in Huntsville, Texas.

Seem restrictive? Maybe so, but given that this leaves a few million titles on the acceptable list, I think we can work with it.

TDOC Denial Notification