Censorship Survey Results

2025 Censorship Update - Survey Results

Are you in a facility that scans incoming mail? Does the mailroom copy or scan newsletters and other printed reading materials? Does the facility's scanning policy affect your ability to read books and literature?

Yes: 65%     No: 35%
"No. "
IL/Wicc
"Yes. A lot of material my facility refuses to copy, they wont even tell us where our mail comesfrom, making it hard to reply."
Indiana/ IYC
"Yes. All mail is photo copied except books, magazines, and newsletters. In a way the mailroom is the ones who condascate items and are not properly trained. They interpret policy anywya they want."
IN 46168
"Yes. They just scan to have a log, that's why I didnt understand why they confiscated my books. They threw away because the system showed how many I had."
Cook County Jail
"No. My facility does not scan incoming mail. The mailroom does not copy or scan newsletters and other reading materials that I am aware of."
CCDOC/IL
"No. Not this mail, but all personal mail/photos/cards from family, friends, and loved ones."
llinois, USP-Marion
"No. This facility doesn't scan incoming mail or any other material. We get the original. It's very unfortunate that some states dont allow it."
Westville Correctional Facility
"Yes. Yes, Yes"
IL, Jacksonville
"Yes. Yes, Yes"
IL, Hill corrctr
"No. No No, Idk"
Pinckneyuine
"Yes. Im at a facility that scans everything. The pamphlet I recieved from yall and the survey was scanned. Yes it makes it hard to read...the words are smeared. They have a really bad scanner."
Ind, New Castle
". They only scan letters. Like letters from family and friends."
USP Marion
"No. No. Of course it will. The reading material is being altered."
Cook County Jail
"Yes. I am being denied to have access to Hard-Cover Books stating a safety & security issues but I can have a television or GTL-tablet that has glass, and plastic that can be turn into a weapon and more of a security threat than a Hard-Cover book. The I.D.O.C is putting profits from the GTL-Tablet from music, podcast, game, and movie apps over inmates safety & security."
Westville Correctional Facility
"No. USP-Beaumont follow the BOP program statements/policy and procedures so they do not copy, scan, and/or confiscate any reading material!"
USP-Beaumont
"No. Hopefully never. If they do, as long as we dont have to pay for it. Although, I have had to get rid of hundreds of books due to not enough room. If they allowed us to save books into tablets as an optionn, it would be cool. But it could for a slippery slope."
IL Menard Doc
". N/A"
Dixon. C.C
"Yes. At this facility they scan our legal mail, and destroy the original which is against the law. And a lot of times they open it up before it gets to you which is also against the law."
Miami Corr Fac Indiana
"Yes. Yes! To all above! Also effects legal access. Many court mails are treated as not legal & copied open outside my presence. Photocopy envelopes are often missing post marks & such. Privileging themselves to my legal & personal issues."
USP-Coleman I
"Yes. The mailroom reads/scans all incoming material and decides what is permited. Staff rotates and there is little uniformity of policy. Very subjective sometimes denial without any notification - sender often informs of denial."
Elkton FCI
"No. This facility has brought it up but does not do it yet."
Pinckneyville Correctional Center
"No. No"
Menard CC IL
". No, they don't copy or scan it, but they do stop what's coming in. Once they see a book or a magazine that they feel is not "appropriate", they'll send it back to sender or destory it."
CCDOC
"Yes. They only scan greeting cards and non-white envelopes."
Federal Corr Inst. Perkin, IL
"Yes. Yes, I'm in a facility that scans mail on to our tables. No, it does not affect books or magazines or newspaper."
North Dakota State Penitentiary
"No. No, but they are working up to it with the new rules and regulations that they are coming up with."
Big Muddy River CC IL
"Yes. They do scan our mail. but we get our newsletters and no, it does not affect my reading."
Wabash Valley Correctional Facility, IN
"No. N/A"
N/A
"Yes. I believe they scan before they read or reproduce copy for inmates. I dont believe they do the same for books. Just legal materials & letters."
N/A
". I believe they scan our books here but I havent had any issues with the facility copying any of my materials that I'm aware of."
Pinckneyville Corr. Ctr.
"Yes. Yes. Yes. I recieve very little mail. Mostly from Books to prisoner clubs."
Centralia corrections
"Yes. As far as I know. The mail room checks and reads a lot of it. I dont know if they copy any."
IDOC Vianna CC
"Yes. Our facility copies legal mail, Im not sure about newsletters, and they have copied peoples picture books that have been being sent in."
Indiana/ISF
"Yes. They scan and photo copy all of my letters and cards. The only thing that they dont are magazines, and legal mail. They even have photo copied religious items."
IL, Marlor
"Yes. Mail is not copied properly + drug testing, rates have not changed after implementation of mail copying."
I.S.P
"No. They dont yet, but they are tying yo introduce tablets to us for that purpose its only a matter of time."
Clifford Clark
"Yes. They copy our mail. They do not copy our books. The facilitys scanning has not affected my ability to read the material sent in."
PA-Rockview
"Yes. I believe that the mail room scans bar codes, I would not say for certain, but I think that they facilitate the scanning."
Dixon-Illinois
"No. "
FCI Pekin
"Yes. Yes. We have to now go through TextBehind. We no longer get sealed mail from our children or family members. Just legal mail. What a joke!"
WIDOC Taycheedah
"Yes. All the mail comes through TextBehind. Yes it does because the scanned copies are hard to read at times!"
WI Oshkosh
"Yes. Yes. Legal mail from the courts and attorneys, books, magazines, publications are all allowed to come directly to the institution."
WI Stanley Correctional
"Yes. WIDOC uses TextBehind, who regularly butchers the quality. Text isn't too bad, but photos get massively degraded regularly. The same photo can be sent multiple times and out out looking different each time. They've even squished photos out of proportion just to fit them onto one page rather than printing it correctly on another page (obviously to save a few cents). As an artist, having my reference imagery come through distorted is aggravating, and it's disrespectful to treat my family photos so poorly."
WIDOC Waupun
"No. Does the mailroom... No."
Western Illinois Correctional Center
"Yes. They do scan but mostly pictures that are printed on regular printing paper in color."
MCC Chicago
"Yes. Yes, all mail is scanned to include pictures and greeting cards, so you only receive B/W copies. Yes, the scanning policies are horrible. They are never scanned in page order, then they are upside down and double sided. You cannot follow what you're reading."
Indiana Pendleton
"Yes. Legal mail is the only form of mail inmates are given original. All other material, correspondence is copied and originals destroyed (or filed). Many letters and/or "zines" are copied off center and content is lost. Magazines from approved sources are approved and permitted in original form."
"Yes. Butner scans letters from anyone and distributes copies accordingly. Newsletters are hit and miss sometimes."
FCI Butner
"Yes. They copy all mail not from a "known publisher" and give us low quality, often cut-off copies."
USP Marion
"Yes. Our mail is scanned by "TextBehind" in Phoenix, MD. We will never get another actual card or letter from family and friends. They say the originals are "destroyed" after 30 days, more BS. Copies of all mail are provided to law enforcement to investigate for possible gang communications."
WI/JCI
"Yes. Yes, I get copies of mail that have been blurry and unreadable as well as cut off where I can't see the rest of the page."
FCI Petersburg
"Yes. All of our non priviletged mail goes to a mail service called "TextBehind" in Maryland. They don't even allow actual photos anymore, only the crap copies from textbehind of the photos on paper. Your mnail is delayed by up to 2 weeks in non holiday times."
WIDOC
"yes. They copy our letters, photos, greeting cards, and other mail. They do not yet copy books."
NCCF