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View Full Version : South Carolina Jail Bans All Books Except the Bible


MattShizzle
10th May 2011, 19:43
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/may/10/us-prisoners-refused-books-bible



Prisoners at a jail in South Carolina are being denied any reading material other than the Bible, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

The ACLU filed a lawsuit challenging the "unconstitutional" policy at Berkeley County detention centre in Moncks Corner on behalf of monthly journal Prison Legal News last autumn. Last week a request by the US Department of Justice to stand alongside Prison Legal News as a plaintiff in the lawsuit was granted by a federal judge, and the ACLU has now asked a federal judge to block enforcement of a policy which it claims sees the jail's officials "unconstitutionally refusing to allow prisoners to receive any materials that contain staples or pictures of any level of nudity, including beachwear or underwear", effectively banning most books, magazines and newspapers.

Very discriminatory and wrong.
MattShizzle
10th May 2011, 19:49
I also see this as more of the Right-wing idea that anyone sent to jail deserves to be treated worse than an animal - even though there are people there who weren't convicted of anything yet and simply can't affford bail.
Ocean Seal
11th May 2011, 02:02
They left a communist book unbanned? How very strange... and opportune for any class conscious person in jail to start preaching the good word of fellow revolutionary Jesus Christ.
Johnny Kerosene
11th May 2011, 02:23
I also see this as more of the Right-wing idea that anyone sent to jail deserves to be treated worse than an animal - even though there are people there who weren't convicted of anything yet and simply can't affford bail.

There are a lot of people there who didn't do anything, and some of them even confessed. Also, I'm pretty sure (could be wrong) that when you're being held on bail you stay in a Jail not a prison.
MattShizzle
11th May 2011, 02:34
Not sure about S Carolina but in PA it's called a "county prison" rather than "jail" and in most states either one holds both those being held without/who can't afford bail and those convicted/plead guilty with sentences less than 1 year.
And anyway this is very discriminatory as it doesn't include books for other religions or those arguing against religion.

And yes, most right-wing US "good Christians" would absolutely hate Jesus if he was here today and said some of the things he said in the Bible. I'm an Atheist myself though.
Gonzo313
11th May 2011, 03:48
Most "good Christians" aren't reading the bible for the economical ideas of Jesus Christ though, they mainly just want to know how to appear to be a "good" person.
JucheDPRK
11th May 2011, 23:19
This reminds me of the warden in "the Shawshank redemption", are other holy books allowed by request, or what? I am appalled that they can issue such overtly Fascist policies in these facilities.
MattShizzle
12th May 2011, 19:59
I'm not sure. One part said "only the Bible" but the other said nothing with staples or certain pictures. Since most books don't contain staples or pictures (other than on the cover) most books would actually be fine if that were true.