'It's Heartbreaking' Authors Criticize The Removal Of 200 Books From An Illinois Prison Library
Last week, Illinois Newsroom reported on the removal of more than 200 books from the shelves of a college in prison program’s library inside the Danville Correctional Center in east-central Illinois. The Education Justice Project offers University of Illinois classes to men at the prison.
Since the program was founded a decade ago, EJP staff, volunteers and students slowly built their own library collection, because the prison’s general library did not have the amount or variety of reading material required to support college-level coursework.
Illinois prison officials say that the books were removed from the library because they did not go through a review process. Illinois Newsroom obtained emails that show at least a portion of the removed books were reviewed and approved to enter the facility by prison staff. In a statement released late last week, the Illinois Department of Corrections maintains the books were not appropriately reviewed, but has invited EJP staff to submit the books through another review process.
https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/its-heartbreaking-authors-criticize-removal-200-books-illinois-prison-library