You may have noticed in the news recently reports from a few states where the DOC is ending book donations to prisoners. Most recently, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Ohio DOC’s have come under fire for espousing this new policy bolstered with phony evidence such as plans to send illicit drugs through the donations.
Unfortunately, the Indiana DOC is attempting the same kinds of restrictions here. Only in slow motion. It’s the M.O. of the IDOC to dip their toes in the water before diving all the way in. So they’ve begun to restrict used books at a few facilities including Westville Correctional Facility, Indiana State Prison, Miami Correctional Facility, and Indiana Women’s Prison, before likely going system wide. We need to stop this process in its tracks now!
The new restrictions at these facilities limit book orders to only two vendors, one of which is Amazon. Or, they ban used books altogether.
Critics of the Pennsylvania policy have rightly pointed out the money-making scheme behind this shift. All prisoners in the DOC are receiving tablets this year, as part of a new contract with the prison communications giant GTL. Companies like GTL who manufacture the tablets stand to gain millions of dollars by monopolizing inmate communication and literature. If we don’t move now, the IDOC will feel comfortable expanding this policy to all prisons and effectively end used and new book donations to inmates.
Please call:
Commissioner Robert Carter | (317) 232-5711
Governor Eric Holcomb | (317) 232-4567
Sample Script:
“I am calling to request that the restrictions on book donations at Indiana Women’s Prison, Miami Correctional, Westville Correctional, and Indiana State Prison be reversed and no such restrictions be applied to any IDOC facility. Barring inmates from reading materials is inhumane and tantamount to censorship. Other states have rightly reversed such policies and Indiana should do the same.”
Please leave a message if you are not able to speak with anyone.
Remember to report back with how your calls go.
You can also write to the following Indiana state and DOC officials, or any other officials you think might take interest, to express your concerns about the book restrictions in Indiana prisons:
Governor Eric Holcomb
Office of the Governor
200 W. Washington St., Rm. 206,
Indianapolis, IN 46204
IDOC Commissioner Robert E. Carter Jr.
302 W. Washington Street, Room E-334
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Senator Michael Young
Chairman, Senate Committee on Corrections & Criminal Law
200 W. Washington St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Representative Vernon Smith
200 W Washington St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Senator JD Ford
200 W. Washington Street
Indianapolis, IN 46204
