Compared to mail, prison staff might be a much more common source of contraband in prisons [1].
Reading can reduce recidivism [2]. Taking inspiration from John F. Kennedy [3], I'd say that those who make prison rehabilitation impossible will make preventable recidivism inevitable.
I live in Arkansas, and both know people have been in the state prison system and have family that work in it.
This didn't come out of nowhere. Book and letters have both been used in the past to smuggle in drugs - including soaking the paper in liquids and then extracting them or using them directly inside.
It is bonded to the paper. The paper is soaked in liquid drugs and then left to dry. The books are then shipped to the jails. Once there, the pages are then torn out and eaten or smoked.
You'd need a test for every random chemical someone can use to get high. This story piqued my interest a few years ago because I didn't realize people got high off bug spray.
I think the best alternative solution is to get better e-books on the tablets the prisons already have, as airstrike said.
> Critics say such restrictions, however, severely limit access for people in prison to reading materials since the offerings in prison libraries and on prison-issued tablets can be limited or outdated.
Compared to mail, prison staff might be a much more common source of contraband in prisons [1].
Reading can reduce recidivism [2]. Taking inspiration from John F. Kennedy [3], I'd say that those who make prison rehabilitation impossible will make preventable recidivism inevitable.
[1] https://www.themarshallproject.org/2023/10/18/prison-drugs-o...
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Changing_Lives_Through_Literat...
[3] https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/address-the-first-...
For the sake of comparison, see Brazil’s Bolsonaro finds novel way to reduce 27-year sentence: reading books. [1]
[1]: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/16/brazil-jair-bo...
I live in Arkansas, and both know people have been in the state prison system and have family that work in it.
This didn't come out of nowhere. Book and letters have both been used in the past to smuggle in drugs - including soaking the paper in liquids and then extracting them or using them directly inside.
Maybe the specific solvent liquids are more of the problem there than the books.
Likely water.
> in order to tamp down on contraband being smuggled into prisons.
You can thumb flip through 300 pages in under a second to see that there is nothing in there.
It is bonded to the paper. The paper is soaked in liquid drugs and then left to dry. The books are then shipped to the jails. Once there, the pages are then torn out and eaten or smoked.
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=bug+pesticide+paper+prison
https://www.goerie.com/story/news/crime/2024/11/27/inmate-ma...
https://filtermag.org/drug-strips-prisons-jails-research/
Pretty much a textbook use case for surface drug test kits.
You'd need a test for every random chemical someone can use to get high. This story piqued my interest a few years ago because I didn't realize people got high off bug spray.
I think the best alternative solution is to get better e-books on the tablets the prisons already have, as airstrike said.
Also much easier to extract money that way when the ebook can’t be transferred whereas a book can be traded freely once it’s in the prison system.
A textbook case, you say?
The full title is:
> Arkansas inmates restricted from receiving physical books, other media directly under new policy
The article is from December 2025, and the policy takes effect on February 1, 2026.
They still have access to the prison library. It's only about receiving direct books and magazines.
> Critics say such restrictions, however, severely limit access for people in prison to reading materials since the offerings in prison libraries and on prison-issued tablets can be limited or outdated.
Sounds like there's a very easy solution to the problem
Yeah. Restoring their rights.
This is a pretty common restriction.
This restriction appears to go beyond most other state level policies in the US.
> This is the strictest ban on sending reading material to prisons in the country. Advocates worry this will launch similar efforts nationwide. [0]
[0] https://bookriot.com/arkansas-prison-book-ban/
“Advocates worry”
What are we talking about here? Who are these advocates and why should I listen to their worries over prison personnel?
Treating prisoners humanely and preparing them to resume a productive life after prison helps us all.
Although that doesn't make it good.