Prison Memoir Banned from Florida Prisons

Book bans successful prisons are thing new. In fact, censorship thrives successful the situation system. Whether the situation is nationalist oregon backstage and portion of a state-wide strategy oregon autarkic impacts the materials allowed to beryllium sent to individuals (and the method by which they tin beryllium sent) and the materials allowed successful situation libraries (if those libraries beryllium astatine all).

Now, Florida prisons person banned a publication by a writer who formerly experienced incarceration astir her experience.

Keri Blakinger is simply a newsman for The Marshall Project, a nonprofit quality root covering each things relating to the transgression justness system. Corrections In Ink follows Blakinger’s acquisition increasing up arsenic a competitory crystal skater who, erstwhile her skating concern ended, began experimenting with drugs. Nine years of instability successful her beingness progressive clip surviving houseless and struggling with substance abuse, and conscionable erstwhile she was astir to propulsion her beingness together, Blakinger was arrested. She spent 2 years successful a authorities prison, leaving sober. Corrections successful Ink not lone tells her communicative but offers penetration into however she utilized her privileges arsenic a achromatic pistillate to assistance others who were successful positions not dissimilar to hers.

The Prison Book Program attempted to nonstop her publication to a idiosyncratic wrong a Florida situation astatine Okaloosa, and it was impounded. It is up to the Florida Department of Corrections’ Literature Review Committee to find whether oregon not the publication tin beryllium wrong the facilities, but successful the mean time, it is banned from every Florida authorities prison.

NPR reports that the reappraisal committee volition beryllium evaluating the publication successful the coming weeks, but stated it was excessively soon to speculate connected the book’s fate. Blakinger reached retired to the reappraisal committee arsenic well, who said the publication would beryllium nether reappraisal this week with a last determination connected the book’s presumption by Friday.

As of writing, the publication is inactive temporarily banned and nary result connected a imperishable determination shared.

“FWIW, Florida bans thousands and thousands of titles — including things similar Dungeons and Dragons and Klingon dictionaries. They person 1 of the largest banned books lists of each the states with lists that I’ve reviewed. They’re the 1st I’m alert of to emblem mine,” said Blakinger.

Book policies disagree authorities to authorities and instauration to institution. A 2019 PEN America study connected prison publication bans notes, “[P]rison officials mostly person wide latitude to prohibition books based connected their content, including the prerogative to make their ain rationales for wherefore a publication should beryllium blocked.” Because the decisions astir materials are made wrong the prison—either successful message rooms oregon by committees comprised of those who enactment for the system—there is important latitude successful interpreting these policies.

That latitude thrives successful a situation system, which itself operates arsenic a hierarchy. Censorship tin hap crossed galore arenas, without connection betwixt and among individuals wrong a fixed prison—and adjacent much truthful connected a authorities level, contempt state-wide policies meant to beryllium uniform. PEN mentions that “content-based censorship often occurs successful the situation mailroom oregon successful the situation library—on the idiosyncratic level. In the situation mailroom, idiosyncratic officers are empowered to determine whether a publication volition beryllium allowed to scope its intended recipient, oregon not,” and determination aren’t ceremonial processes for specified decisions. The decisions don’t necessitate explanations oregon meaningful insight. This means determination whitethorn be zero documentation as to wherefore oregon however definite titles were deemed unacceptable.

In Okloosa, an idiosyncratic took it upon themselves to deem Corrections successful Ink inappropriate, and documentation offered small penetration into what the publication shared that did not conscionable the prison’s worldly policy. But 1 ailment was capable to trigger the impermanent prohibition statewide.

Blakinger shared to Twitter passages from the publication earmarked arsenic problematic.

“[W]hile I americium not blessed it is impounded, impoundment for being “dangerously inflammatory” is beauteous dope,” said Blakinger. “But the thought it poses a menace to information oregon to the “rehabilitative” goals of situation is LAUGHABLE… my publication is much rehabilitative than Florida prisons person ever been.”