Censorship Survey Results

"No. It is a free speech issue, for example if a forbidden book is printed out on paper, they allow it in. The government should only police truly illegal materials."
IL/Wicc

"No. If a person wishes to read something bad enough he'll find a way to do this. Moreover, this liberty should not be restricted because a person is a prisoner. Either its right or not."
NBCI

"No. I dont think its right for them to say we cant get the material we want as long as its not illegal."
Indiana/ IYC

"Yes. But on a very limited basis, and with very clear outlines of what is restricted not a blanket statemnet that can be applied to any book"
IN 46168

"No. Because it is our consititutional 1st amendment right."
Cook County Jail

"No. "
Cook County Jail

"No. Institutions should not limit what we read or see because they do not know why we want to see or read the materials we are sending in, they cannot read our minds nor do they truly understand what we are trying to do in our individual paths."
CCDOC/IL

"No. Due to reading poses no threat to "safety and security", and as far seeing - magazines, photos, etc., we're all adults, so why restrict material?"
llinois, USP-Marion

"No. No one should have the power over what I can read and see just because they feel it can affect me in a negative way or may cause me to act out. What they're trying to prevent can actually be caused by censorship."
Westville Correctional Facility

"No. I feel it falls into the constitutional right of freedom of speech"
IL, Jacksonville

"No. It is about for others, not me. How they got it? No idea, I feel picked on."
IL, Hill corrctr

"No. I feel as Adults we should be able to read what we want."
Pinckneyuine

"No. Common sense, I dont think it would be good security if someone got a book teaching you how to pick locks...or maps of the area you are at."
Ind, New Castle

"No. Because they go to far. They want to deny anything they don't agree with."
USP Marion

"No. It's for my rehabilitation. We need to know what's going on in the world to survive once release from jail/prison."
Cook County Jail

"No. Freedom of Speech - United States Constitution of the First Amendment. Abuse of Power and Authority."
Westville Correctional Facility

"No. No one should control anybody's literacy. This thing about controlling the people's reading is a serious injustice. And we must rise up!"
USP-Beaumont

"No. Instead, "banned" books could be read in a forum with outside teachers or lecturers expouding...or, if a banning process must exist, only an outside-majority, inside-minority conglonerate should evaluate the books. Like 9 non-prison staff and 6 prison staff thoroughly reading, reviewing and voting on whether to allow the book or some vedacted form. TV's worse. They allow TV!"
IL Menard Doc

"No. I have the power to control my information I choose to get. Otherwise I could be misinformed."
Dixon. C.C

"Yes. I think they should to an extent. But the prison I am at goes way overboard on there discreation. They seem mad at the world so they take it out on us, by keeping stuff from us."
Miami Corr Fac Indiana

"No. 1) Freedom of Speech Rights
2) Freedom of (unrestricted) access to public & media or news. As stated in FBOP policy
3) 6th cir agree some years ago. Porn helps (cut down on) sex offenses in prison."
USP-Coleman I

"No. We are deprived of many freedoms as prisoners. Controlling thoughts, ideas, concepts is a step too far."
Elkton FCI

"No. No, due to it is a 1st Amendment Right to Learn and a 15th Amendment Right due to a Liberty Interst and stuff so one can better themselfs so they don't end back up in prison."
Westville Correctional Facility

"No. Everyone has the right to read/see/believe whatever they want. Reading expands the mind and allows us the opportunity to see/view/debate other people's beliefs. Unless someone acts out because of their beliefs they should be punished but not everyone. People should be held accountable for their actions, not placing it on others, or something they read."
Pinckneyville Correctional Center

"No. Prisons shouldn't have the right to control what incarcerated people read. I am a first time offender, during my incarceration I have been housed in two "Correctional Centers". In both I observed one fundamental political mind, that of the Alt-Right. Many of the CO's of all ranks regurgitate the talking points of the Far-Right Conservatives. Some are so bold to spew White-Supremist idealogies. Seeing how most of the prison population, from prisons I've been to, are overwhelming non-white it isn't hard to understand why prisons shouldn't have the power to control reading material. To me it is obvious that they will restrict any book that undermines any idealogy or political system they practice or belive in."
Menard CC IL

"No. First & foremost we (prisoners) have our rights and prison officials have to do their jobs - but to controlling what we can read is crazy. If it was up to them, we would be reading the walls. Forreal forreal."
CCDOC

"No. No one should be able to tell you what is permissable to see or read. And prison employees are the last people on earth who should be judging what is proper for others to view."
Federal Satellite Low Elkton

"No. Education"
Salinas Valley State Prison

"No. We are adults and unless it is legit threat to security, it should not be an issue."
Federal Corr Inst. Perkin, IL

"No. Because that's one thing we look forward to getting. They got us locked down 22hrs in the day."
Pinckneyville Prison Facility

"Yes. Within reason yes."
Big Muddy River CC IL

"No. No, because I feel it falls under my first amendment law with the Freedom of Speech and so many other reasons. They try to say the material is gonna make us do more wrong things, but whether we read it or not, if we're gonna out, we're gonna. So them taking thing's away like that is not right."
North Dakota State Penitentiary

"No. If it cannot hurt us or anyone, we should be able to have it to read."
Big Muddy River CC IL

"No. Because nothing that is in this world should be denied. They should not have control over this because they are not law makers. It gives them too much control, and with that control and their ideas of what is wrong can then give them the power to ban the Bible."
Big Muddy River CC IL

"No. I'm not a child. I did not shisho plea bargain or agree to any rules of confinment. They won't let me work or be part of anything. And as you well know they try and keep my books from me."
Wabash Valley Correctional Facility, IN

"No. Violation of freedom of press but most importantly free speech, both protected by 1st Amendment"
N/A

"No. The prison should not have that power to control what i can or cannot read"
N/A

"Yes. Because its like freedom of speech to voice your opinion without being punished for expressing your feelings- its like the choice of books you enjoy reading or studying as a subject matter. Reading is fundamental, very educationally profund."
Pinckneyville Corr. Ctr.

"No. They have enough control already. Its always been this way. Even in the "free" world. Here they control our T.V, movies, mail, phone calls, tablets. It is not a place of corrections. They only want us to see their bias POV. Most of them are uneducated, uncultured, lower class whites who think they are special."
Centralia corrections

"No. "
IDOC Vianna CC

"No. I dont know the politically correct terms but it just doesnt feel right. It feels very controlling/power trip."
Indiana/ISF

"No. I may be a prisoner, but yet I am still an adult who has those rights to read and view what I choose."
IL, Marlor

"No. Its unconstitutional"
I.S.P

"No. The prisons dont want us learning. To many beast when they read and learn and finally hear with the eyes and see with their ears by keeping people dumb. We cant properly fight our cases, advance, grow or fight injustice the prison does to us."
Clifford Clark

"No. They are stripping away our rights little by little and not letting us have any freedom and depriving us of basic tools to organize within and outside of prison walls, and our information is being sensitized."
PA-Rockview

"No. I believe that the prisoners should not have the power to control the reading material unless it causes a security breach. So that would be a yes and no. If you give the prison the power, it will only become from the top notch Rome and the federal government."
Dixon-Illinois

"No. No. If the book is legal on Amazon or on Barnes and Noble, it should be legal in a prison too. No one was sentenced to censorship. This entire system has gotten so out of hand, the TIME was supposed to be the punishment. It wasn't about taking every possible thing away from someone. Germany's prisons are a great example of how you properly do prison. And as a country, their recidivism rate is drastically lower than America."
FCI Pekin

"No. Because we are all adults and we can determine if they are appropriate or not. They look at porn on their computers when they are supposedly babysitting us!"
WIDOC Taycheedah

"No. Because what is really so wrong about me wanting to read a big book about Pokemon? I heard that someone in my prison tried getting a POkemon and it was banned."
WI Oshkosh

". I struggle with materials which deal with suicide and other subjects which teach harm to oneself or others."
WI Stanley Correctional

"Yes. I'm not an anarchist, and believe that law enforcement and prisons have a legitimate place in society. It's not like we live in a utopia. I feel there is a legitimate reason to restrict the content we have access to. That said, there is a tremendous overreach going on. The prisons should have to be subjected to oversight from a 3rd party who's goal is defending prisoner' First Amendment Rights anytime they want to deny a book. Denials should really be closely limited to instructional works on subjects like hand-to-hand combat, alcohol production, etc.

Of course any ban is meaningless to any sufficiently motivated inmate. I've only been incarcerated for a few years and I've run across guys who can each any number of banned book subjects. Plenty of people who can teach about drugs and alcohol. I picked up some martial arts tricks from an ex-Army Sergeant, sparing with him in security camera blindspots. Myself, I can draw people at the level of a professional illustrator and several times other artists have wanted me to teach them how to draw Hentai (Not that I think prisons have any business restricting access to porn outside of a sex-offender treatment program)"
WIDOC Waupun

"No. Especially pretrial detaines that have not yet been convicted as they are supposed to be innocent until proven guilty. Innocent individuals ought to have the freedom and accesss to any reading material they desire, minus the obviously detrimental content, If detained, reading material containg ways to make weapons or how to escape being restricted is understandable. Otherwise, no. I do not see a reason to have control over what is read and seen. Same applies to convicted prisoners. Having suh a power doesn't contribute much to rehabilitation, and to those doing life its just pointless."
Western Illinois Correctional Center

"No. No, because if books aren't denied to the public, then why us? The general public has access to all types of things. If thye want to use the argument of safety, where as us (inmates) we have little to nothing that will cause harm, so why are you controlling it?"
MCC Chicago

"No. I should be able to use my 1st Amendment rights whenever I want to. If it doesn't affect the safety and security of the institution, then it should not matter. Sadly enough the prison/mailroom Yolanda Chambers censors what she wants to, especially she retaliates when you place a grievance in against her for her actions."
Indiana Pendleton

"No. No publication should be restricted unless the exclusive materials aim to harm or otherwise violate any other individuals life or lifestyle. Racist propaganda included, although materials of this nature is often printed in cypher or difficult code, however often only in idealist terminology that present no direct or explicit threat."

". One hand yes, no material to perfect criminal activity/mind. But also, no material should be blocked solely on that artist's perception"
FCI Butner

"No. The First Amendment!"
USP Marion

"No. Their excuse for anything is 'security concerns', obviously, this is bullshit."
WI/JCI

"No. Fuck no, people should be able to read whatever they want, banning books is authoritarian control over how we educate ourselves. It's insane for a gov't to tell you what you can and cannot learn."
FCI Petersburg

"No. I was confined in the 1990s and actual pornography like "hustler" and "black tail" was allowed without problems and in 1997 it was taken away and thereafter the Dept has just not had any ability to actually enact a uniform policy by which I mean enforce the written one they have, they just do what they want and cite the policy"
WIDOC

"No. We are grown men. We should have the right to read anything we choose."
NCCF