[bainsfather]

In the uk, prisoners get sent other parcels, they of course are screened. No real reason for not allowing books. This ban was just the prisons minister playing to the tabloid press.

"a better option would be to fix the availability of library services to prisoners" - alas, this is not even a bad joke. In e.g. high security prisons, you might get to visit the library once every 4 weeks. If (or these days, more often than not when) there are staff shortages, supervision of prisoners' library visits is among the first things cut - in which case, you might get to visit again in 4 weeks time, maybe.

Source: 2nd hand info from talking to someone who works in a prison.

[kahirsch]

The first sentence of the article is "Under the current rules prisoners are prevented from receiving parcels unless they have 'exceptional circumstances', such as a medical condition."

[bainsfather]

Yes, I saw that, and I thought it was incorrect. After some digging:

This does not apply to remand prisoners.

Convicted prisoners get 1 parcel of clothing after conviction (at the governer's discretion).

Also exceptional circumstances "could include for example ... replace clothing due to restricted access to laundry facilities."

Source: Prison Service Instructions 30-2013 Section 10.4, 10.5 and also annex F.

[cmdkeen]

And the article talked about upping the number of books a prisoner can keep in their cell, which seems a better solution for all prisoners than the few who have people who will send them books.

I wonder how many prisoners are being sent the poet laureates work anyway?

A far better solution is to fix prison libraries, perhaps if all the heat being generated by literary types was directed at that, rather than "OMG they banned books" types protests, we might be able to get more books.

For instance there are literary trusts that donate sacks of books to all children at various points in their life in parts of the UK. Why not set up a prison literary trust that donates books to all prisoners? Get it signed off by the state as an "approved source" and a real change occurs. But then protesters wouldn't get to protest.