State prisons to halt all mail-in publications, citing drug smuggling

A sweeping ban on books and magazines mailed to Arkansas inmates will take effect Feb. 1, creating what advocates say is the strictest policy of its kind in the nation, according to reporting from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

In a Dec. 30 memo, Department of Corrections Director Dexter Payne told inmates that outside publications will no longer be allowed in state prisons. Payne cited what he called a surge in narcotics and contraband arriving by mail, sometimes soaked into paper or hidden in bindings. He described the rule as necessary “to mitigate significant security risks.”

The new policy overturns regulations in place since 2007 that permitted staff to inspect and approve mailed books from publishers or vendors. The Democrat-Gazette reviewed prison policies nationwide and found no other system that blocks all mail-in books and magazines.

Critics warn the ban will harm inmates’ education, mental health and rehabilitation. Families, prison-reform advocates and publishers say libraries and limited digital offerings are not enough to replace mailed reading material.

“This is certainly the most thorough and harshest ban I’ve heard of,” said Wanda Bertram of the Prison Policy Initiative.