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Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Prison libraries and the Bureau of Selective Memory

"... Earlier this summer the Bureau of Prisons, an agency under the Justice
Department, launched the Standardized Chapel Library Project,
essentially a purging of prison book shelves as a way of satisfying
recommendations from Justice's Inspector General. The 2004 report
pointed out flaws in the bureau's system for screening books in prison
libraries, a system which needed tightening in light of the terrorist
attacks of September 11. It suggested that the bureau screen existing
libraries and remove offending literature, keeping most other books
intact though under a carefully catalogued system.

The prison bureau's response instead was to dispose of all religious
materials in prison libraries with the exception of 150 titles
selected by a panel of unnamed bureaucrats. Untold religious authors
have had their spiritual messages rejected, denied to a population
which arguably could benefit from messages of hope and tolerance.

When asked by The Washington Times for the list of 150 religious
titles, a Bureau of Prisons spokeswoman said the information must be
formally requested under the Freedom of Information Act. The bureau
would not provide the list of "experts" brought in to craft the list
and has been reluctant to reveal the process and criteria used to
select the titles that would either receive the bureau's imprimatur or
be rejected. ..."
 

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