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A grid of 9 book covers set on top of a blue background with sharp shadows: Hand Lettering & Calligraphy, Soledad Brother, Mein Kampf, 50 Shades of Grey, 48 Laws of Power, Prison Ramen, The Color Prple, Egyptian Hieroglyphic Dictionary, Forgotten Realms On top, there are a few blocks of handwriting pointing to some of the books that read: "Threat to the order and security of the institution," "sexually explicit," "methods of poison"
Graphics February 23
The Books Banned in Your State’s Prisons
We asked all state systems for book policies and ban lists, then created a database for you.
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Michael Bennett reads a book at the Cheshire Correctional Institution in Connecticut, in 2010.
Feature December 21, 2022
Why Would Prisons Ban My Book? Absurdities Rule the System
Censorship kept me from finishing a college essay behind bars. Now, prisons might keep readers from my memoir.
By Keri Blakinger
Arthur Longworth led a Spanish class for other inmates in the Monroe Correctional Complex library in Monroe, Wash.
News April 5, 2018
Silencing Arthur Longworth
A prizewinning writer is punished for acting like a free man.
By Eli Hager
Quiz September 30, 2015
Do You Have What It Takes To Be a Prison Censor?
Test yourself against the pros.
By Bill Keller
News March 19, 2015
Attica Reads About Attica
A story of brutality clears the prison censors.
By Tom Robbins
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