IN November 2013 the Ministry of Justice introduced a blanket ban on relatives and friends sending books to prisoners. Although the government says the ban is necessary to stop drugs entering prisons, the Prison Officers Association has commented that smuggling drugs in parcels is very rare, and security checks have worked well.
The Howard League for Penal Reform believes that gifts of books are not perks or privileges, but essentials, and has reminded the government that “reading books goes hand in hand with education, rehabilitation and humanity.”
This has been to no avail. Prisoners are no longer able to receive these parcels from loved ones and governors have lost their powers of discretion.
As an alternative, the Ministry of Justice suggests prisoners use the library, but reports from the Inspectorate of Prisons indicate that many prisons have inadequate library stock and reduced opening times, as a result of staff and budget cuts.
This government policy is not only vindictive, but rather silly. We all want less crime and safer communities. Books can and do turn prisoners’ lives around, reducing reoffending.
JANET HELEN PHILLIPS South Shropshire Green Party Lydbury North
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