Compared to mail, prison staff might be a much more common source of contraband in prisons [1].<p>Reading can reduce recidivism [2]. Taking inspiration from John F. Kennedy [3], I'd say that those who make prison rehabilitation impossible will make preventable recidivism inevitable.<p>[1] <a href="https://www.themarshallproject.org/2023/10/18/prison-drugs-overdoses-book-banning" rel="nofollow">https://www.themarshallproject.org/2023/10/18/prison-drugs-o...</a><p>[2] <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Changing_Lives_Through_Literature" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Changing_Lives_Through_Literat...</a><p>[3] <a href="https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/address-the-first-anniversary-the-alliance-for-progress" rel="nofollow">https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/address-the-first-...</a>
For the sake of comparison, see <i>Brazil’s Bolsonaro finds novel way to reduce 27-year sentence: reading books</i>. [1]<p>[1]: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/16/brazil-jair-bolsonaro-reduce-sentence-reading-books" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/16/brazil-jair-bo...</a>
I live in Arkansas, and both know people have been in the state prison system and have family that work in it.<p>This didn't come out of nowhere. Book and letters have both been used in the past to smuggle in drugs - including soaking the paper in liquids and then extracting them or using them directly inside.
> <i>in order to tamp down on contraband being smuggled into prisons.</i><p>You can thumb flip through 300 pages in under a second to see that there is nothing in there.
It is bonded to the paper. The paper is soaked in liquid drugs and then left to dry. The books are then shipped to the jails. Once there, the pages are then torn out and eaten or smoked.<p><a href="https://duckduckgo.com/?q=bug+pesticide+paper+prison" rel="nofollow">https://duckduckgo.com/?q=bug+pesticide+paper+prison</a><p><a href="https://www.goerie.com/story/news/crime/2024/11/27/inmate-mail-coated-with-bug-spray-deet-kd-court-affirms-erie-pa-conviction/76594805007/" rel="nofollow">https://www.goerie.com/story/news/crime/2024/11/27/inmate-ma...</a><p><a href="https://filtermag.org/drug-strips-prisons-jails-research/" rel="nofollow">https://filtermag.org/drug-strips-prisons-jails-research/</a>
The full title is:<p>> Arkansas inmates restricted from receiving physical books, other media directly under new policy<p>The article is from December 2025, and the policy takes effect on February 1, 2026.
They still have access to the prison library. It's only about receiving direct books and magazines.
> Critics say such restrictions, however, severely limit access for people in prison to reading materials since the offerings in prison libraries and on prison-issued tablets can be limited or outdated.
This is a pretty common restriction.
This restriction appears to go beyond most other state level policies in the US.<p>> This is the strictest ban on sending reading material to prisons in the country. Advocates worry this will launch similar efforts nationwide. [0]<p>[0] <a href="https://bookriot.com/arkansas-prison-book-ban/" rel="nofollow">https://bookriot.com/arkansas-prison-book-ban/</a>
Although that doesn't make it good.