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| Credit: Michael Stravato |
Prisons have the right to censor books. Several publications have been banned because of how they were manufactured and many other reasons. The binding, cover, or other parts of a book can be used to hide contraband and are therefore prohibited. Nevertheless, critics say the lists of approved and banned books in Texas prison are surprising and some outrageous. Nicole Porter, director of advocacy at The Sentencing Project said, "The reasons for banning books are subjective." Additionally, James LaRue, director of Office for Intellectual Freedom of the American Library Association, said "To block access to 'Where's Waldo’ on the one hand, and Shakespeare on the other, doesn’t preserve order...it preserves ignorance and imprisonment."
I find some of the bans hilarious and disheartening. I mean, children's books such as "A Charlie Brown Christmas," and "Where's Waldo?" are banned. (It's even the Santa Spectacular version).
On the other hand, I believe these bans are reasonable to an extent because they are meant for a safe environment, yet publications such as "Mein Kampf" are allowed. I also understand that pop-up books are not allowed because of contraband, but the content of these books are otherwise harmless and should be permitted.
Discussion Questions:
What do you think about banning "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and other children's books?
Should "Mein Kampf" be allowed for reading in prison?
Do you think the Texas Deparment of Criminal Justice should review their list of bans?
Links:
Here's a free, printable Where's Wally? Christmas Puzzle.
And the book, if you're interested.
Merry (early) Christmas!
30 comments:
I don't know why you find the bans "hilarious." If Where's Waldo books can hide a person literally dressed in red and white stripes, it could easily be manipulated to conceal heroin or perhaps an automatic. Also, I believe the banning of A Charlie Brown Christmas seems reasonable and is a well-thought safety precaution against a possible leaking of the federal government's most closely guarded secret: the true meaning of Christm-
"...prohibited from reading the the pop-up edition"
Oh. That makes more sense.
Also, judging by the fact that Mein Kampf was written in prison, reading Hitler's greatest work could help promote the creation of literature for inmates. Perhaps one day another book as glorious and distinguished as Mein Kampf may be published in a Texas prison.
I’m very curious as to the Texas Department's rationale for banning some of these books, as it seems rather inconsistent. According to the NY Times article, incoming books are scanned for “graphic sexual content and material that could help inmates make a weapon, plot an escape or stir disorder” -- I don’t see how Shakespearean sonnets or “Where’s Waldo?” would fit that description. The fact that “Mein Kampf” and books written by David Duke were approved suggests that the purpose of banning books isn’t necessarily to censor potentially dangerous ideas and ideologies from taking root among the prisoners. I feel that banning books such as these might make more sense, though I don’t believe censorship based simply on content should be taking place regardless.
I believe that the Texas Department of Criminal Justice should revise their list and include books that promote learning. While “A Charlie Brown Christmas” is enjoyable and may allow prisoners to get creative, it is not necessarily beneficial. Promoting learning in actual forms of literature rather than picture books are more effective in the long run. Furthermore, the list contains an interesting variety which could indicate a bias in the judgement of what is deemed as fit. Books like Mein Kampf, in my opinion, should definitely not be included in the list because it promotes a leader whose morals are in no way justifiable. Including this would bring more harm to the prison because it generates an unsafe environment.
I agree with Lily that there's no clear, obvious rationale in choosing which books the prison banned and which are approved. While I can see that some books could promote the wrong ideals or act as a hiding place, some books like "Memoirs of a Geisha" don't seem to belong on this list. It's kind of like how "The Catcher in the Rye" was banned from one school's reading list because they believed it was "antiwhite." "Mien Kampf" might've been approved to boost the prisoners' moral or some other random reason. I can see why the board might have different reasoning for banning books like "Where's Waldo," but I still agree that they should review their list.
I don't really see why certain books, especially "A Charlie Brown Christmas" is banned. I don't understand how some of these books are dangerous. I do understand though that certain types of books are banned because inmates can hide contraband and other things in these books, so I think this was a good rule. Maybe the logic behind these bans was not the actual content but the type of book and the shape or material the book was made of. However, what if the officers just checked the books to see if they were hiding stuff in them? That being said, I definitely think they should review the list.
I feel like the Texas Department banning certain kinds of books like "A Charlie Brown Christmas" is too excessive. Afterall, these are simply books that contain some kind of expression. It isn't wrong to publish, thus it shouldn't be wrong to read. I agree with Iman of how some inmates use books for contraband, but banning specific genres of books is different. I feel that the Department should reconsider their action of banning 10 k books.
As everyone above has mentioned, I believe the banning of certain books from the Texas prison is illogical. Even the banned books list/frequently challenged young adult books have a much more clear reason behind the banning. Comparing the books that were banned to what is allowed, it is puzzling. These books are usually read for enjoyment and may not have the deeper meaningful messages other books contain. I do understand that, like many other objects that are banned in prisons, banning these books would be for the safety of the inmates. However, I still find this idea quite ridiculous. If they are so worried, they should just perform checks on the books or devise a system, rather than taking away potentially harmless enjoyment. Books were meant to be read and these inmates should have equal access to all kinds of literature.
I also agree with the commenters that the list of banned books are unreasonable. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice wants a safe environment through banning books which conceal contraband and include information that will encourage strikes, riots, demonstrate the manufacturing weapons, and criminal schemes. Yet, children’s books which contain harmless content are barred. I do see that pop-up editions are prohibited because of room for contraband, but as Iman mentioned, a way to get around contraband concealed in books is checks by prison guards. Most of the book bans are unjustified censorship and seem dehumanizing to prisoners because they cannot enjoy fun books such as “Where’s Waldo,” which includes searching games. Also, according to NYTimes, reading is not only “ a form of escapism but also an opportunity to improve their chances of assimilating back into society.” In other words, banning children’s books which are generally acceptable and enjoyed by the public, may decrease the chances of prisoners integrating back into their own culture or society because they lack one basis of connection which are certain books.
And, H/T to Chris.
I really don't understand why they would ban innocent books. Books as innocent as "A Charlie Brown Christmas" or "Where's Waldo" would be banned. I also am really confused on why they would ban Shakespearian sonnets. They are very good books to read and inmates could really learn and educate themselves from it. Just because you've committed a bad act does not stop your right to learn. I would understand if they banned books because their contents could give bad ideas to these people, but the ones that were banned were innocent and interesting books. I definitely think they should review the list.
It is true that the choices of books to ban seems illogical, but beyond that, I don't think that any book should get banned in the first place. Well, maybe the pop-up books if they really could be used to hide shady stuff (although that seems pretty difficult to do anyway). In terms of content, "A Charlie Brown Christmas" should not get banned, but neither should "Mein Kampf." There's simply no good reason to do so. If everyone else is allowed to read these books, then inmates should be allowed to as well. Even if the book was "dangerous" for some reason, what's the point of only banning it among prisoners? Why worry that someone who is imprisoned will do something dangerous when a normal citizen with malicious intentions could do something much worse?
I understand the argument the department has for not wanting to allow books into prisons that may hide contraband, but I believe prisoners should have access to all books, so I think there should be more emphasis on searching the books than banning them outright. Yes, prisoners are in prison because they committed a crime and their punishment was to be removed from society, but they are still human, and I believe they should have access to all books, so no, I don't think books like Mein Kampf should be censored.
I think that the only books that should be banned are books which give information on breaking out of prison, which means that basically all books should be allowed for inmates to read and enjoy. I also guess that pop up books should be banned as well because of evidence given in the above comments. Letting inmates lessen their boredom with books does not sound like a bad thing. I do think the Texas Department of Criminal Justice should consider evaluating which books should be banned.
I believe that it is ridiculous for the prisons to censor the books that the inmates can read. These people are grown adults, so why limit what information they can access? Censorship in this case only makes sense if the prison is preventing its inmates from reading material that could help them escape. In my opinion, all of the books should be made available to the prisoners.
I do not have a problem with the Mein Kampf, because although it was written by one of the most evil people to ever live, it still holds massive educational value. It is an iconic piece of history, and provides readers with the opportunity to learn about history.
I don't think that the prison should have the ability to ban children's books. I don't understand how or why Charlie Brown or Where's Waldo could possibly need to be censored for any reason. There is no reason to ban these books or any book for that matter. All books are published to be read, even if they are written by Hitler. Picture books are more a source of entertainment and fun reading for the prisoners and they shouldn't be restricted access to books, since I see no reason for these books to be any harm. I guess I can understand the factor of how certain prisoners can hide contraband in the book's binding, but I still think that the banning of these books is illogical and the prison should definitely review their ban list.
I can understand banning some children's books in school but why prison. It's not like the children's books are going to teach them anything new and even If they did I doubt learning the spirit of Christmas is anything deadly. Same goes for all books, The story of mein kampf I think people should see more as a piece of history and I think that the Texas department of crime should check their ban list again.
I think its illogical to ban children's books. There isn't any information in the book that could be harmful in any way, so I don't see why prisoners can't read them - honestly, these prisoners could probably use a reminder of the lightheartedness from children's books. Like Iman said, I think to avoid prisoners hiding contraband in the books, the guards could simply check the books after they are used. Therefore, I think that the list of banned books should be reviewed.
I do not think that children's books should be banned. There is no harm in children's books. To prevent hiding of contraband, the guards could check the books after each use. I think prisoners will actually benefit by reading joyous kids books rather than reading a book like Mein Kampf. The ban on some children books don't make sense to me.
I believe that this ban of children's books is unnecessary. Unless there is information that provides reason to believe these books are negatively impacting the prisons. Additionally, I think it is strange that Mein Kampf is allowed while these books are banned. I support the idea that books could be used to hide contraband, however, there are better ways to screen for contraband such as searches or scans.
I believe banning children's books at the prison is a wast of time and ridiculous. They are books kids read when they are in the first grade, so you know there is nothing wrong or not appropriate in the books. its books, I think anytime a prisoner is reading any book its a good thing, even if its Mein Kampf. What the prison is doing is wrong and if they are just doing it in fear of contraband then the guards should just double check the books when they are returned and taken.
I do not believe that any books should be banned at all. Thought provoking literature allows people to develop their character, and it seems that exploring creativity would actually help the inmates more than it would harm them or inspire resistance. Even the pop-up books could be simply checked after use, as mentioned by multiple people above. This wouldn’t be that difficult, because how many prisoners actually read “Where’s Waldo” for fun? Any restriction on reading is unfair, as people should be able to expose themselves to any books they wish to read.
I think the Prison has the right idea that yes, some books should be banned if they can be used to a prisoners advantage but come on, at least have some logical process of which books are banned. In prison, it seems there is not much you can do, and a library is a great way for prisoners to escape and educate themselves through the power of a good story. I'm entirely confused why they would ban Charlie Brown, since it is so PG and has nothing harmful in it except for maybe a dog who can walk like a human. I think maybe they shouldn't even ban any books at all. I know some prisons implement a system where prisoners can gain certain rewards for good behavior (and lose for bad behavior). The prison can have certain sections of the library, where there are the books that are harmless, then the section of books that could maybe have suggestible material or could be filled with contraband. So once a prisoner has shown great behavior they will be allowed to enter the section of "banned" books.
If anything is going to stir criminal behavior, I feel like it would be Mein Kampf. Banning humorous books, along with Shakespearian sonnets is depriving inmates of valuable commodities they could use to further creativity and would have a positive impact. Texas officials are taking harmless books away from inmates, but leaving harmful books. I understand why prisons would want to ban some books, as they could promote unsavory ideas, but the fact that they left Mein Kampf in the library takes away from the sentiment. I do not think that this is a reasonable action.
Perhaps the Texas prison system is banning children's books in an effort to encourage inmates to read more sophisticated literature, That notion, however, is actually false because they also banned Shakespeare. Hm. Honestly, I don't know what they're thinking. This whole thing ties back to differences in principle between political parties. In a very general sense, when confronting the issue of criminal justice, conservatives tend to lean more towards punishment and liberals favor rehabilitation. Being that it is a heavily conservative state, I am not surprised that Texas prisons would go out of their way to strip prisoners of Christmas joy. Perhaps they think this will somehow teach the prisoners a lesson, become productive members of society, and eventually lead them to salvation... or something like that. In my opinion, though, banning the books is ridiculous and petty.
This whole decision does not make a lot of sense. I do not know too much about the criteria for banning books, so I am not sure if banning the children books was "necessary" to the function of the prison. However, if the prison is going to ban children books, and allow "Mein Kampf" instead, then it really does not make any sense. Maybe they are banning the children books because they think that adult prisoners will not enjoy reading them? But on the other hand, if they are trying to get the prisoners to read more sophisticated literature, why ban Shakespeare, which is very sophisticated literature? Then, the books that they did allow, such as "Mein Kampf" and some KKK-published books, while perhaps being more sophisticate literature in comparison to children books, all incite violence, which is detrimental to the prisons themselves. Overall, I don't understand any of the logic behind the decision to ban some of these books, and I think that eventually the decision should be reconsidered because someone will realize the flaw in reasoning that lead to these unclear decisions.
I don't really understand the motive behind this ban. It does not make sense to me to allow "Mein Kampf" written by Adolf Hitler but ban children's books. I don't see a problem in allowing inmates to read children books and in some cases I believe its important to keep those books for inmates who do not have as high of an education who will not be able to enjoy books that are more difficult. I think the whole entire decision should be reconsidered.
While I do think that the intent toward safety precautions is completely valid, like previously mentioned comments, I think the rules are rather arbitrarily applied to different contexts. I'm not sure if all the versions of "Charlie Brown Christmas" are pop-ups, but I do see how banning the book in its entirety would simplify the process and remove any ambiguity concerning the rules. According to the article, specific books are banned because they could be manipulated for other purposes. However, the rationale behind banning other books of literature seems questionable, especially because they haven't banned some of the most frowned upon written works.
Although I understand the purpose of banning books in order to prevent prisoners from hiding certain objects that can be considered dangerous, I don't believe these books should be banned for the reason of content (unless containing very inappropriate or disturbing content), especially Children's books. However, I believe Mein Kampf should be allowed in prisons because it provides important historical and educational value that prisoners should have the right to read.
I think the ban on children's books is uncalled for. I can understand the need to ban certain books for content and prisoner's safety, but banning Charlie Brown and Where's Waldo is cruel. In addition, banning Shakespearean literature is harmful to the prisoners because it is hindering their opportunity to grow as intellectuals during their sentence and gaining knowledge from world renowned literature. I think that books like Mein Kampf and other historical novels should be allowed because they are challenging reads that will keep prisoners educated while they are serving time. I absolutely think that the Texas Prison system should review the ban books and bring some of the banned books back to the prisoners.
Though I don’t find that banning these children’s books to be justified when there are books like Mein Kampf circulating the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, I believe that another piece of reasoning behind the ban is in order to suppress prisoners from receiving any sort of joy from reading uplifting stories like these. Personally, I don’t think that Mein Kampf should be given access to because of the loaded diction that Hitler laces within that book that can potentially kickstart another revolution (maybe I’m jumping too far into conclusions, I don’t know).
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