The flap over the Bureau of Prison’s Standardized Chapel Library Project has continued to grow, and the BPO has been forced by public opinion to rethink its decision about what religious works it allows to be shelved in federal prison libraries.
American Library Association releases statement on removal of religious texts American Library Association (ALA) President Loriene Roy called on the Bureau of Prisons to immediately halt its removal of religious texts from prison libraries and return removed books to the library shelves. “We are outraged to learn that the Bureau of Prisons is removing religious texts from prison chapel libraries based solely on whether or not the books are on a short list of ‘approved’ religious books. A government agency should not have the right to determine what religious texts are ‘appropriate’ when our Constitution promises not only freedom of speech but also freedom of religion. Moreover, it is illogical that the Bureau of Prisons is removing the very resources that may help incarcerated persons change their lives for the better. The idea that removing religious books will create better citizens is ridiculous, and goes against the democratic fiber of our society.” more…
Prisons to Restore Purged Religious Books
NEW YORK TIMES – WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 — Facing pressure from religious groups, civil libertarians and members of Congress, the federal Bureau of Prisons has decided to return religious materials that had been purged from prison chapel libraries because they were not on the bureau’s lists of approved resources. The bureau had said it was prompted to remove the materials after a 2004 Department of Justice report mentioned that religious books that incite violence could infiltrate chapel libraries. After the details of the removal became widely known this month, Republican lawmakers, liberal Christians and evangelical talk shows all criticized the government for creating a list of acceptable religious books.