Sign Now: Protect incarcerated people’s right to read
NY Department of Corrections and Community Supervision
“When the prison gates slam behind an inmate, he does not lose his human quality; his mind does not become closed to ideas; his intellect does not cease to feed on a free and open interchange of opinions; his yearning for self-respect does not end; nor is his quest for self-realization concluded. If anything, the needs for identity and self-respect are more compelling in the dehumanizing prison environment.”
―Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall (Procunier v Martinez, 1974)
In New York State, the State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision tried out a pilot program that restricted prisoners’ ability to receive packages and articles, except from a handful of approved vendors. This program prevented people in prison from being sent any books other than those on these vendors’ limited lists. The Department of Corrections suspended the program due to negative pushback.
But now, the state appears to be regrouping and preparing to re-introduce this program to restrict incarcerated people’s right to read.
Around the country, incarcerated people’s right to read is restricted. In Texas, the Department of Criminal Justice banned 15,000 books from prisons, including books by Alice Walker, John Grisham, Jenna Bush Hager and Bob Dole. However, Texas continued to allow books by Adolf Hitler and David Duke.
In New Jersey, several prisons had banned “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness,” until the ACLU of New Jersey objected.
New York State should set an example, and protect incarcerated people’s right to read. Whether you live in New York or not, your voice matters. New York sets a precedent for the rest of the country, and as more and more states adopt these programs, we all must take action.
Sign the petition and demand that the New York State corrections department uphold incarcerated people’s right to read by completely revoking Directive 4911A.
―Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall (Procunier v Martinez, 1974)
In New York State, the State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision tried out a pilot program that restricted prisoners’ ability to receive packages and articles, except from a handful of approved vendors. This program prevented people in prison from being sent any books other than those on these vendors’ limited lists. The Department of Corrections suspended the program due to negative pushback.
But now, the state appears to be regrouping and preparing to re-introduce this program to restrict incarcerated people’s right to read.
Around the country, incarcerated people’s right to read is restricted. In Texas, the Department of Criminal Justice banned 15,000 books from prisons, including books by Alice Walker, John Grisham, Jenna Bush Hager and Bob Dole. However, Texas continued to allow books by Adolf Hitler and David Duke.
In New Jersey, several prisons had banned “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness,” until the ACLU of New Jersey objected.
New York State should set an example, and protect incarcerated people’s right to read. Whether you live in New York or not, your voice matters. New York sets a precedent for the rest of the country, and as more and more states adopt these programs, we all must take action.
Sign the petition and demand that the New York State corrections department uphold incarcerated people’s right to read by completely revoking Directive 4911A.
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New York, NY
Ruther Glen, VA
Washington, DC
To:
NY Department of Corrections and Community Supervision
From:
[Your Name]
We demand that the Department completely revoke Directive 4911A, which unreasonably restricts incarcerated people’s right to read. All individuals―including people in prison―have the right to intellectual freedom. Studies show that allowing people in prison to access outside information and ideas reduces recidivism and is essential to a successful transition back into society. It is critical that incarcerated people have access to as many outside publications as possible.