A US prison bans all books – except The Bible

i dont really understand the reasoning behind the banning of the books. In most prison systems you can have a T.V., radio and playstation. why would they ban books, but at the same time play violent videogames?

I find that this county jail banning books, is terrible. Let them have something in there to open their minds and better themselves with, then taking away something positive from them. Then they will have nothing positive and will only get into trouble in jail or not be able to rehabilitate themselves for when they get out; possibly making them come back to jail in the future. In the long run banning books could be costly for the inmates, taxpayers money, etc.

reply to post by theUNKNOWNawaits


Opening an inmates mind won't lead them to rehabilitation. They don't have a "right" to be entertained. Providing them with incentive to learn a skill or trade leads to rehabilitation. In the end, they have to want to do something different in their lives. Just having any book they want doesn't do that.

Originally posted by blivey
reply to post by theUNKNOWNawaits

 

Opening an inmates mind won't lead them to rehabilitation. They don't have a "right" to be entertained. Providing them with incentive to learn a skill or trade leads to rehabilitation. In the end, they have to want to do something different in their lives. Just having any book they want doesn't do that.

No it does not lead them to rehabilitation per say, but opening their minds is a start (which is better then keeping their minds in the same place they have always been; which I think did not go well since they ended up in jail). The ones that do not have a "right" to be entertained or learned, would be people in state or maximum security prisons. People in county jail are a different story (mostly) and deserve the right to have the opportunity to better themselves and in jail, books are the only thing there that can do that. The purpose of jail should not be to throw someone in there for a year and make them worse, so when they get out, they only will come back. This costs are country to much money. We need to help these people become better people, somehow. We need to try at least, as humans.
I agree with you they have to want to do something, but if we take books away from all of them, then no one will have an opportunity to do something different with their lives, because their is nothing positive their.
You create an environment with nothing positive, how is that person ever to come back from it.
Some are hopeless in there, but that does not mean we should give up on them all.

so if the gov't does its ok but if we do it we go to prison and cant even read a frackin book
VictimlessCrimes/Moral Crimes
Drugs
Prostitution
Gambling

Crimes that are legal for the gov't but not us
Drug Sales
Weapon Sales
Prostitution
Gambling
Obstruction of Justice
Murder
Illegal Human Testing
Human Trafficking
Genocide
Perjury
Illegal Search and Seizure

And I am sure there is many more but it is nice when you can just get a pardon and not go to prison meanwhile John Smith goes to prison for 10 years for drugs. Good thing we have someone to look out for us.

Originally posted by Violater1

And...your having a problem with this?

There is a problem with this. What about freedom of religion in this country? If they allow the bible, why not the Koran, why not other religious materials? Why not just allow all books? How do books hurt their policing of the inmates? How can books help?

reply to post by totalmetal


Freedom of religion is not dependant on literature.

Not that this is a good idea. Bored prisoners = dangerous prisoner.

They should be trying there best in prison to teach them how to live structured lives based on regular lifestyle choices...all dependant on the ability to teach them. That might be hard with only one book.

reply to post by dwmjr1985


I think it is counter productive. We may as well admit we lock people up for revenge and because we don't know what else to do with them. Rehabilitate is a made up word.

I agree many people can be "saved" from lives of crime by finding Jesus and growing a conscious.

But to assume that everyone will (or to force it on people already paying their debt to society) without effective methods of actually lowering recidivism, like offering trade skills, education and alternate career path....is cruel and unusual punishment.

I imagine a bunch of prisoners finally get out after 20 years of reading the bible...

They see how the world has changed in 20 years and how there are more sins and decides to kill everyone in sight that fails to follow one of the 10 commandments.

"YOU ARE ALL SINNERS!!! AAAAAAARRRRRRGGG!"

^^

The important question is why the hell is only the bible available for inmates? What happened to separation of church and state? I do think this is unnacceptable in modern society, and it resembles some third world theocracy, IMHO...

The Bible is a gateway book to a life of violence, crime, and intolerance. Allowing prisoners to read only the Christian Bible is a form of job assurance/insurance for the prison industry.

The Bible is well-known to be the favorite reading material of serial killers, rapists, and child molesters.

Pretty sick, but what else do you expect from Christians?

reply to post by apacheman


Lol, are you serious?

You must believe that the world ends at the American border.

I can assure you that the average serial killer/rapist from Indoneasia or Saudia Arabia (insert any of the nonchristian nations here) are NOT christian...

Or do undercover christians go to those places to commit crimes?

If anything, the only books that should have been banned are all religious books.

Denver City Jail has no other books either; well a few years back, its basically a holding tank for the county jail but sometimes your in over night sometimes your there for a week or two. They're donations, only religious books can be donated and when they dont have to pay for books they aint gonna but they have to let you practice whatever

I think the gangs may use books and magazines in some way to pass along orders, so in that way I can see this being done. There are certainly other ways of getting messages out, though.
Perhaps it was to prevent certain "propaganda books"? I've heard that some of the gangs make new recruits read certain materials.

Aside from all that, I really can't see any good reason for it, other than to further "incarcerate" the inmates.

Originally posted by jssaylor2007

Originally posted by HenryPatrick
this is disgusting...most people that are incarcerated are there for nonviolent and victimless crimes, which should not even be crimes at all...ive been caught in the fascist system before, and without books to pass the time i would have literally lost my mind...if you think that this is ok, you should think about doing the world a favor and giving yourself an extra hole in the head...

So people shouldn't go to jail or even be punished for stealing? Give me an example of a victimless crime that shouldn't be a crime because I really want to know. Also you can't say drug usage, there are plenty of victims there ask anyone on the border.

Thanks for putting words in my mouth, but I don't recall saying people shouldn't be punished for stealing or that stealing isn't a victimless crime. You made that up in your obviously illogical mind.

And seriously? Can't say drug usage? The reason most people are in jail? There are only victims because something that should be legal is not. People who occassionally enjoy marijuana are not the cause of your "broder victims", fascist laws are the cause. But you obviously don't know how to reason, so just keep believing that everything the government does is right and never question what the mainstream media tells you. That's a good little drone.

reply to post by dwmjr1985


This will be turn down by a court, the reason? part of rehabilitation is education, that is why prisons have education systems that provide prisoners with the means to earn degrees.

I imagine that those managing this prison are nothing but fundamentalist religious with the motto that if you can not grow into religion then they most beat religion into you with the bible occurs

reply to post by theUNKNOWNawaits


The point that I was trying to make is that if the inmates want to have materials to read for entertainment then they should have to actively participate in an educational or vocational program in order to earn said entertainment. I don't advocate taking all books away from them, but if they want to read magazines they should have to study educational material as well. Entertainment as incentive is key, not total removal.

reply to post by dwmjr1985


dwmjr1985 I'm unhappy with reading this news. IMHO this prison system should be investigated to find out if these claims are true. If this is so, and if it were up to me, the prison management would be fired. Prisoners should not be denied reading material. The printed word is so important, it shouldn't have to be included in a institution because a legal document makes it so. Books, magazines and periodicals should be available to prisoners as a common gesture of kindness and in support of learning.

How is a woman in this prison who is there falsely accused and without the wealth to hire legal representation supposed to read and learn so she may participate in the legal system?

Why are the local citizens who are charitable and concerned for their fellow man not allowed to donate reading material, if this is the case?

How is a man who is illiterate suppose to learn how to read without basic beginning reader books being available to him?

I was under the impression that all prisons had fully stocked libraries, including law books, so prisoners may expand themselves and have a chance to leave prison a better man then when they entered.

Our prison system warehouses convicts in miserable environments. I'm not saying these folks should have a day at Disneyland. I'm saying that reading material should be a basic right, just like a simple glass of water or toilet paper. Prisoners do not have much to take up their day. Denying them an ample selection of reading material seems like cruel and unusual punishment to me.

As far as the Bible goes, there should be multiple copies of the texts and holy books of all religions in every prison. America is the melting pot and each persons belief system should be recognized, whether the library is in a prison, school or on Main Street in your town. There are many people who finally find faith in a higher power after they have hit the lowest point in their life. Poor choices and abuse of alcohol and substances help a lot of people find their freedom taken away from them. For many it is after they are no longer around the bad influences of their local gang, when they no longer have access to mind-warping alcohol and substances, and they find themselves with lots of time to think that they finally realize the error of their ways. Holy texts should be available to these people, as they may help them try to become better, more disciplined and loving people who try to live for a purpose.