Wednesday News: The truth is never wrong

ACLU CONVINCES NC PRISONS TO REMOVE "NEW JIM CROW" FROM BANNED BOOK LIST: "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness" was the subject of a New York Times piece last week titled, "Why Are American Prisons So Afraid of This Book?" The article specifically noted that North Carolina and Florida prison systems wouldn't allow inmates to read it and said prisoners in others states often have trouble getting copies. The ACLU sent the North Carolina Department of Public Safety a heavily footnoted letter Monday, calling the ban unconstitutional and contrary to the prison system's own regulations. The state keeps a list of hundreds of "disapproved publications" inmates aren't allowed access to, but the ACLU suggested this particular book was off limits because it shines "a harsh light" on racism in the country's justice system. After receiving the letter, state Director of Prisons Kenneth Lassiter "decided to immediately remove the book," DPS spokeswoman Pamela Walker said in an email. Lassiter, who started in the job May 1, also will review the system's entire list of banned books to determine whether others should be removed, Walker said.
http://www.wral.com/nc-prisons-un-ban-book-on-race-mass-incarceration-after-aclu-request/17283409/

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