Its my understanding that in the Blount County jail and probably others ,that there are books but inmates can't have newspapers and magazines. I don't know that they had any books there at all until Scott West had people donate them. I imagine county jail is worse than prison, probably anywhere, as far as availability of books and just having nothing but time on your hands. Even Paris, in all seriousness, only gets one hour out a day where she can choose to shower, exercise or make a phone call. But they reported she was reading newspapers. I figure people are less likely to cause trouble if they are reading and or working in the kitchen or doing something rather than just sitting for days or months on end.

I know I've seen interviews with ex-cons who were transformed for the better by books they read. With all that time on your hands it would seem books would be godsend. If they're worried about violent images then why do they let people watch TV in jail? It doesn't get much more violent than taht. I think about Scott. I hope his situation isn't too bad. I'd probably be looney in no time if I was locked away without any books. I'd probably be reading the labels on whatever I could find.

indeed! on the mark!

u sure don't/didn't see book banning in communist countries.

I have no problem with stripping prison libraries of Islamist, Christian Identity, or Kahanist literature. And there's certainly no reason we should pay for it out of our small enough budgets. Cons don't gain the right to whatever book they want simply by conviction of a felony.

I don't think anyone is going to be rehabbed the The Protocols of the Elders of Zion or the The Turner Diaries, much less by radical Islam, Christianity, or even Judaism posing as religion when it's really revolutionary politics. They want that crap; let 'em wait until they're out.

Liberty and justice for all.

"extremist chaplains" - the biggest threat to America.

I'm sure many people would have said Martin Luther King's writings might be prime candidates for banning, as they advocated demonstrating against the staus quo of the times. Yet Dr. King was a leader who inspired many young people to become stronger and more spiritual.

The Church during the Inquisition and the Nazis were rabid destroyers of words. I think we have to accept the fact that some books may fuel anger or suggest things to the reader we might not feel comfortable about, but the value of books and the ability and FREEDOM we have to choose what we read far outweighs potentially paranoid screenings of these.

"The minute a society muzzles it's writers and poets, you can be sure it is going to the dogs"--carole borges

First they ban books everyone would think should be banned, then they inch forward with others. Where does it all end?

Many great classic books are in danger always of being banned. I believe book banning is something we should all be very vigilant about.

The American Library Association website has a list of these. (link...)

It shows how bizarre some people are when it comes to percieving books as threats.

(link...)

P.S. Prison libraries often times (as was pointed out in the above post) contain mostly donated books and throw-aways from public libraries. Most of them do not use very much of our taxpayer's monies.

Hello, I am Trout Fishing in America......