4 ms·

Arkansas inmates restricted from receiving physical books, other media directly

52 points by hn_acker 9mo ago

hn_acker 9mo ago
The full title is: > Arkansas inmates restricted from receiving physical books, other media directly under new policy The article is from December 2025, and the policy takes effect on February 1, 2026.
hn_acker 9mo ago
Compared to mail, prison staff might be a much more common source of contraband in prisons [1]. Reading can reduce recidivism [2]. Taking inspiration from John F. Kennedy [3], I'd say that those who make prison rehabilitation impossible will make preventable recidivism inevitable. [1] https://www.themarshallproject.org/2023/10/18/prison-drugs-overdoses-book-banning https://www.themarshallproject.org/2023/10/18/prison-drugs-o... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Changing_Lives_Through_Literature https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Changing_Lives_Through_Literat... [3] https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/address-the-first-anniversary-the-alliance-for-progress https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/address-the-first-...
treetalker 9mo ago
For the sake of comparison, see Brazil’s Bolsonaro finds novel way to reduce 27-year sentence: reading books. [1] [1]: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/16/brazil-jair-bolsonaro-reduce-sentence-reading-books https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/16/brazil-jair-bo...
Hnrobert42 9mo ago
This is a pretty common restriction.
- tecleandor 9mo ago
  Although that doesn't make it good.
- greenburger 9mo ago
  This restriction appears to go beyond most other state level policies in the US. > This is the strictest ban on sending reading material to prisons in the country. Advocates worry this will launch similar efforts nationwide. [0] [0] https://bookriot.com/arkansas-prison-book-ban/ https://bookriot.com/arkansas-prison-book-ban/
  - junofan 9mo ago
    “Advocates worry” What are we talking about here? Who are these advocates and why should I listen to their worries over prison personnel?
    - electroglyph 9mo ago
      Treating prisoners humanely and preparing them to resume a productive life after prison helps us all.
    - saagarjha 9mo ago
      Prison personnel are often misaligned when it comes to the wellbeing of their inmates.
kazinator 9mo ago
> in order to tamp down on contraband being smuggled into prisons. You can thumb flip through 300 pages in under a second to see that there is nothing in there.
- fhdkweig 9mo ago
  It is bonded to the paper. The paper is soaked in liquid drugs and then left to dry. The books are then shipped to the jails. Once there, the pages are then torn out and eaten or smoked. https://duckduckgo.com/?q=bug+pesticide+paper+prison https://duckduckgo.com/?q=bug+pesticide+paper+prison https://www.goerie.com/story/news/crime/2024/11/27/inmate-mail-coated-with-bug-spray-deet-kd-court-affirms-erie-pa-conviction/76594805007/ https://www.goerie.com/story/news/crime/2024/11/27/inmate-ma... https://filtermag.org/drug-strips-prisons-jails-research/ https://filtermag.org/drug-strips-prisons-jails-research/
  - AlotOfReading 9mo ago
    Pretty much a textbook use case for surface drug test kits.
    - fhdkweig 9mo ago
      You'd need a test for every random chemical someone can use to get high. This story piqued my interest a few years ago because I didn't realize people got high off bug spray. I think the best alternative solution is to get better e-books on the tablets the prisons already have, as airstrike said.
      - barbazoo 9mo ago
        Also much easier to extract money that way when the ebook can’t be transferred whereas a book can be traded freely once it’s in the prison system.
    - LeoPanthera 9mo ago
      A textbook case, you say?
blindriver 9mo ago
They still have access to the prison library. It's only about receiving direct books and magazines.
- striking 9mo ago
  > Critics say such restrictions, however, severely limit access for people in prison to reading materials since the offerings in prison libraries and on prison-issued tablets can be limited or outdated.
  - airstrike 9mo ago
    Sounds like there's a very easy solution to the problem
    - striking 9mo ago
      Yeah. Restoring their rights.
      - Sabinus 9mo ago
        Their rights to an extremely generous and updated tablet based ebook selection. The ROI on that providing that would be very good for governments, you would assume. Recidivism down. Libraries could do other things with the book space.
        saagarjha 9mo ago
        The great thing about prison tablets is that they are cheap and offer a low-cost selection of reading materials, with no incentive to have some scummy third party company in the loop to profit off their monopoly.
        blindriver 9mo ago
        The first thing prisoners will do is destroy the tablet. I'm okay with both restricting prisoners' abilities to get direct mail, and I'm okay with allowing subscriptions go directly to the prison library. I am not inclined to want to give prisoners more privileges and I am inclined to remove as many privileges as possible, especially for first time offenders so that they realize that the path they are on is the wrong one.
Ancapistani 9mo ago
I live in Arkansas, and both know people have been in the state prison system and have family that work in it. This didn't come out of nowhere. Book and letters have both been used in the past to smuggle in drugs - including soaking the paper in liquids and then extracting them or using them directly inside.
- OutOfHere 9mo ago
  Maybe the specific solvent liquids are more of the problem there than the books.
  - jdkee 9mo ago
    Likely water.
- themafia 9mo ago
  If you can process drugs and get high in prison then you're not actually in any form of custody. You're just left to your own devices in an unsupervised locked box. It's not hard to figure out why our recidivism rate is so embarrassing. Anyways, I'm sure this will /completely/ prevent drugs from getting in, so I guess that justifies the destruction of prisoner rights?
  - cindyllm 9mo ago
    [dead]
- throwaway81523 9mo ago
  It sounds like this prevents books from being sent to prisoners no matter who the sender is. In California you are not allowed to mail books directly to prisoners, but you can order books from Amazon (or a few other large sellers) for shipment to the prisoner. They figure a shipment directly from those places should be contraband free. Hopefully they have some kind of anti-spoofing scheme. I think the CA policy is pretty common, so Arkansas must be going further.
random3 9mo ago
"The Alabama Solution" (nominated for best documentary, 2025) is a mind-blowing documentary about the prison system. Indeed, everything gets through prison guards. In that case, the problem was that inmates were self-educating in law, and figured out that their highest leverage is financial and organized strikes targeting free revenue from almost-unpaid labor. So it makes sense, to avoid these "problems" by restricting books, given that the revenue from contraband with drugs and everything else continues to work through prison guards. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Alabama_Solution https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Alabama_Solution https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Alabama_Movement https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Alabama_Movement
5555624 9mo ago
What about books sent directly from a book store? I didn't see that mentioned in the article and that used to be the way to send a book to an inmate. (I've known inmates in a few states.) Books could be sent directly from say Amazon; but, not from an individual. (The article's "Joe Blow off the street.")
- hn_acker 9mo ago
  > What about books sent directly from a book store? That was THE way for individuals to send a book via mail to an inmate, and starting February 1st that will no longer be an available option [1]: > Before the new policy, employees of the Department of Corrections inspected and decided, on a case-by-case basis, whether materials could be passed to those on the inside. Materials to incarcerated people were already limited to those sent directly from publishers or approved vendors, with bans on materials sent from individuals and unapproved organizations. Now, materials are allowed into the system only through requested donations to prison libraries and/or prison chaplains. When I posted TFA, the Arkansas Division of Correction page about "Mail and Money" for inmates [2] had a line about the February 1st ban on mailed books etc. The line did not mention specific sources of mail, so I interpreted it as categorically applying to mailed books etc. from all sources (including bookstores) addressed to individual inmates. I'm kicking myself for not archiving the page when I posted TFA, because just now (a day and some hours later) I checked the page and the line had been deleted [3], except for a sloppily-left-in space right before "No food or care packages may be mailed to an inmate." The now-deleted line seems to have been added after January 12, because a Wayback Machine archive on January 12 says that "All books, magazines, newspapers and catalogs must be mailed directly from the publisher, bookstore, educational institution, or recognized commercial or charitable outlet." [4] (That is, the page previously mentioned specific sources of mail.) [1] https://bookriot.com/arkansas-prison-book-ban/ https://bookriot.com/arkansas-prison-book-ban/ [2] https://doc.arkansas.gov/correction/inmates/mail-and-money/ https://doc.arkansas.gov/correction/inmates/mail-and-money/ [3] https://archive.ph/qE7Zk https://archive.ph/qE7Zk [4] https://web.archive.org/web/20260112235838/https://doc.arkansas.gov/correction/inmates/mail-and-money/ https://web.archive.org/web/20260112235838/https://doc.arkan...
Nevermark 9mo ago
Seems like an online book wishlist, and order for inmate interface, from trusted sellers would benefit everyone. Not saying that would not reduce some legitimate book gifts, but adding every way possible for books to reach inmates is a good policy for any prison, the inmate and rehabilitation, regardless of the drug problem.
cmxch 9mo ago
One more reason to complete the abolition of slavery, such that prisoners are included as free citizens even if incarcerated.

52 points by hn_acker 9mo ago

The full title is: > Arkansas inmates restricted from receiving physical books, other media directly under new policy The article is from December 2025, and the policy takes effect on February 1, 2026.

hn_acker 9mo ago

Compared to mail, prison staff might be a much more common source of contraband in prisons [1]. Reading can reduce recidivism [2]. Taking inspiration from John F. Kennedy [3], I'd say that those who make prison rehabilitation impossible will make preventable recidivism inevitable. [1] https://www.themarshallproject.org/2023/10/18/prison-drugs-overdoses-book-banning https://www.themarshallproject.org/2023/10/18/prison-drugs-o... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Changing_Lives_Through_Literature https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Changing_Lives_Through_Literat... [3] https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/address-the-first-anniversary-the-alliance-for-progress https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/address-the-first-...

treetalker 9mo ago

For the sake of comparison, see Brazil’s Bolsonaro finds novel way to reduce 27-year sentence: reading books. [1] [1]: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/16/brazil-jair-bolsonaro-reduce-sentence-reading-books https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/16/brazil-jair-bo...

Hnrobert42 9mo ago

This is a pretty common restriction.

tecleandor 9mo ago
Although that doesn't make it good.
greenburger 9mo ago
This restriction appears to go beyond most other state level policies in the US. > This is the strictest ban on sending reading material to prisons in the country. Advocates worry this will launch similar efforts nationwide. [0] [0] https://bookriot.com/arkansas-prison-book-ban/ https://bookriot.com/arkansas-prison-book-ban/
- junofan 9mo ago
  “Advocates worry” What are we talking about here? Who are these advocates and why should I listen to their worries over prison personnel?
  - electroglyph 9mo ago
    Treating prisoners humanely and preparing them to resume a productive life after prison helps us all.
  - saagarjha 9mo ago
    Prison personnel are often misaligned when it comes to the wellbeing of their inmates.

kazinator 9mo ago

> in order to tamp down on contraband being smuggled into prisons. You can thumb flip through 300 pages in under a second to see that there is nothing in there.

fhdkweig 9mo ago
It is bonded to the paper. The paper is soaked in liquid drugs and then left to dry. The books are then shipped to the jails. Once there, the pages are then torn out and eaten or smoked. https://duckduckgo.com/?q=bug+pesticide+paper+prison https://duckduckgo.com/?q=bug+pesticide+paper+prison https://www.goerie.com/story/news/crime/2024/11/27/inmate-mail-coated-with-bug-spray-deet-kd-court-affirms-erie-pa-conviction/76594805007/ https://www.goerie.com/story/news/crime/2024/11/27/inmate-ma... https://filtermag.org/drug-strips-prisons-jails-research/ https://filtermag.org/drug-strips-prisons-jails-research/
- AlotOfReading 9mo ago
  Pretty much a textbook use case for surface drug test kits.
  - fhdkweig 9mo ago
    You'd need a test for every random chemical someone can use to get high. This story piqued my interest a few years ago because I didn't realize people got high off bug spray. I think the best alternative solution is to get better e-books on the tablets the prisons already have, as airstrike said.
    - barbazoo 9mo ago
      Also much easier to extract money that way when the ebook can’t be transferred whereas a book can be traded freely once it’s in the prison system.
  - LeoPanthera 9mo ago
    A textbook case, you say?

blindriver 9mo ago

They still have access to the prison library. It's only about receiving direct books and magazines.

striking 9mo ago
> Critics say such restrictions, however, severely limit access for people in prison to reading materials since the offerings in prison libraries and on prison-issued tablets can be limited or outdated.
- airstrike 9mo ago
  Sounds like there's a very easy solution to the problem
  - striking 9mo ago
    Yeah. Restoring their rights.
    - Sabinus 9mo ago
      Their rights to an extremely generous and updated tablet based ebook selection. The ROI on that providing that would be very good for governments, you would assume. Recidivism down. Libraries could do other things with the book space.
      - saagarjha 9mo ago
        The great thing about prison tablets is that they are cheap and offer a low-cost selection of reading materials, with no incentive to have some scummy third party company in the loop to profit off their monopoly.
        blindriver 9mo ago
        The first thing prisoners will do is destroy the tablet. I'm okay with both restricting prisoners' abilities to get direct mail, and I'm okay with allowing subscriptions go directly to the prison library. I am not inclined to want to give prisoners more privileges and I am inclined to remove as many privileges as possible, especially for first time offenders so that they realize that the path they are on is the wrong one.

Ancapistani 9mo ago

I live in Arkansas, and both know people have been in the state prison system and have family that work in it. This didn't come out of nowhere. Book and letters have both been used in the past to smuggle in drugs - including soaking the paper in liquids and then extracting them or using them directly inside.

OutOfHere 9mo ago
Maybe the specific solvent liquids are more of the problem there than the books.
- jdkee 9mo ago
  Likely water.
themafia 9mo ago
If you can process drugs and get high in prison then you're not actually in any form of custody. You're just left to your own devices in an unsupervised locked box. It's not hard to figure out why our recidivism rate is so embarrassing. Anyways, I'm sure this will /completely/ prevent drugs from getting in, so I guess that justifies the destruction of prisoner rights?
- cindyllm 9mo ago
  [dead]
throwaway81523 9mo ago
It sounds like this prevents books from being sent to prisoners no matter who the sender is. In California you are not allowed to mail books directly to prisoners, but you can order books from Amazon (or a few other large sellers) for shipment to the prisoner. They figure a shipment directly from those places should be contraband free. Hopefully they have some kind of anti-spoofing scheme. I think the CA policy is pretty common, so Arkansas must be going further.

random3 9mo ago

"The Alabama Solution" (nominated for best documentary, 2025) is a mind-blowing documentary about the prison system. Indeed, everything gets through prison guards. In that case, the problem was that inmates were self-educating in law, and figured out that their highest leverage is financial and organized strikes targeting free revenue from almost-unpaid labor. So it makes sense, to avoid these "problems" by restricting books, given that the revenue from contraband with drugs and everything else continues to work through prison guards. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Alabama_Solution https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Alabama_Solution https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Alabama_Movement https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Alabama_Movement

5555624 9mo ago

What about books sent directly from a book store? I didn't see that mentioned in the article and that used to be the way to send a book to an inmate. (I've known inmates in a few states.) Books could be sent directly from say Amazon; but, not from an individual. (The article's "Joe Blow off the street.")

hn_acker 9mo ago
> What about books sent directly from a book store? That was THE way for individuals to send a book via mail to an inmate, and starting February 1st that will no longer be an available option [1]: > Before the new policy, employees of the Department of Corrections inspected and decided, on a case-by-case basis, whether materials could be passed to those on the inside. Materials to incarcerated people were already limited to those sent directly from publishers or approved vendors, with bans on materials sent from individuals and unapproved organizations. Now, materials are allowed into the system only through requested donations to prison libraries and/or prison chaplains. When I posted TFA, the Arkansas Division of Correction page about "Mail and Money" for inmates [2] had a line about the February 1st ban on mailed books etc. The line did not mention specific sources of mail, so I interpreted it as categorically applying to mailed books etc. from all sources (including bookstores) addressed to individual inmates. I'm kicking myself for not archiving the page when I posted TFA, because just now (a day and some hours later) I checked the page and the line had been deleted [3], except for a sloppily-left-in space right before "No food or care packages may be mailed to an inmate." The now-deleted line seems to have been added after January 12, because a Wayback Machine archive on January 12 says that "All books, magazines, newspapers and catalogs must be mailed directly from the publisher, bookstore, educational institution, or recognized commercial or charitable outlet." [4] (That is, the page previously mentioned specific sources of mail.) [1] https://bookriot.com/arkansas-prison-book-ban/ https://bookriot.com/arkansas-prison-book-ban/ [2] https://doc.arkansas.gov/correction/inmates/mail-and-money/ https://doc.arkansas.gov/correction/inmates/mail-and-money/ [3] https://archive.ph/qE7Zk https://archive.ph/qE7Zk [4] https://web.archive.org/web/20260112235838/https://doc.arkansas.gov/correction/inmates/mail-and-money/ https://web.archive.org/web/20260112235838/https://doc.arkan...

Nevermark 9mo ago

Seems like an online book wishlist, and order for inmate interface, from trusted sellers would benefit everyone. Not saying that would not reduce some legitimate book gifts, but adding every way possible for books to reach inmates is a good policy for any prison, the inmate and rehabilitation, regardless of the drug problem.

cmxch 9mo ago

One more reason to complete the abolition of slavery, such that prisoners are included as free citizens even if incarcerated.