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Arkansas set to impose nation’s
strictest ban on sending books,
magazines to prisons
January 10, 2026 by Brett Barrouquere

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A ban on sending books and magazines to inmates in Arkansas prisons goes into effect
Feb. 1, putting into place the strictest regulations in the country on sending outside
publications to the incarcerated.
A Dec. 30 single-page memo to inmates from Dexter Payne, who oversees the prison
system, notes that inmates will have access to the prison library, digitized publications
on facility-issued tablets, religious materials in the chapel and television and radio for
news and current events.
Payne's memo, obtained by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, cites what he describes as
an influx of contraband and illegal drugs as the reason for the measure.
"This comprehensive prohibition on incarcerated individuals receiving external hardcopy publications directly into an ADC facility is necessary to mitigate significant
security risks posed by increasingly sophisticated methods of contraband
introduction," Payne wrote.
[DOCUMENT: Read Payne's memo to state inmates »
arkansasonline.com/110prisonbooks/]
The policy overrides regulations in place since 2007 that allowed Department of
Corrections employees to inspect and decide on a case-by-case basis which books and
magazines could be sent to inmates. Books and magazines under the old policy in
Arkansas had to come from publishers or approved vendors and could be rejected if
they were determined to be "detrimental to the security, discipline and good order of
the institution," found to contradict the goal of rehabilitation or the content promoted
or condoned violence.

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Arkansas set to impose nation’s strictest ban on sending books, magazines to prisons | The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette - Arkansa…

The new policy doesn't ban specific types of books, titles or shipments from specific
publishers or outlets. Instead, it is an absolute bar on shipping any literature from
outside a prison to an inmate at an Arkansas facility. The Board of Corrections adopted
the new policy Dec. 19.
A review of policies governing books and publications in prison systems around the
country by the Democrat-Gazette shows each state and the federal Bureau of Prisons
has criteria on where books can be shipped from, and some states review the material
before sending it on to inmates.
The review did not find any state prison system that banned all books, magazines or
newspapers from being sent into a prison from any source.
"This is certainly the most thorough and harshest ban I've heard of," said Wanda
Bertram, a spokeswoman for the Prison Policy Initiative, a Massachusetts-based think
tank focused on criminal justice and incarceration. "I'm not happy to see this, but I'm
not surprised."
Barbara Griffin is concerned what the ban will mean for her daughter, Hannah
Freeman, who is serving 60 years at the McPherson Unit in Newport after being
convicted in Sebastian County on drug trafficking charges.
Griffin described Freeman as an "avid reader" and said books are one of the "few
stabilizing and grounding outlets" she has.
"The policy change would have a significant impact on her day-to-day functioning and
well-being," Griffin said.
In a Dec. 8 memo to the Board of Corrections, Payne cited 25 instances from January
2022 to August in which illegal drugs, including synthetic marijuana and
methamphetamines, were found by corrections officers either sprayed onto book
pages, slipped into the lining of a book cover or tucked into the spines of books or a
copy of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
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Arkansas set to impose nation’s strictest ban on sending books, magazines to prisons | The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette - Arkansa…

Among the books found to be carrying contraband were one shipment of 40 Bibles, at
least three packages containing the Quran and a copy of John Grisham's "The Judge's
List." The memo said tests found the books were tainted with narcotics or had drugs
tucked into parts of the books.
A spreadsheet attached to Payne's Dec. 8 memo cites drugs being sent to nine of the 25
adult correctional facilities in the state.
Payne said nine packages were sent to the Cummins Unit in Grady, three to the Delta
Regional Unit in Dermott, six to the East Arkansas Regional Unit in Brickeys, two to
the Grimes Unit in Newport, one to the Ouachita River Unit in Malvern, three to the
Varner Unit and one to the Varner Supermax Unit in Gould.
[DOCUMENT: Read Payne's examples of contraband in books »
arkansasonline.com/110bocbookban/]
The Dec. 30 memo to inmates describes "continued and escalating attempts" to
introduce potentially fatal substances into the prisons by soaking or saturating paper
items, including books and magazines, as justification for the new policy.
"These contaminated materials pose a direct and severe risk to the safety and health of
the offender population and correctional staff who handle or come into contact with the
substances," Payne wrote.
Bertram said states have used drugs or other contraband in prisons as a reason to
restrict some donated books, but reading material doesn't seem to be a large source of
narcotics. In this case, it seems like the Department of Corrections is "scapegoating
families," she said.
"There's going to be some drugs coming in from every avenue," Bertram said. "That's
what makes this so horrible."

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Arkansas set to impose nation’s strictest ban on sending books, magazines to prisons | The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette - Arkansa…

Some states ban specific titles or review what arrives via an authorized vendor. Illinois,
citing reasons similar to Arkansas, stopped the practice of allowing people to drop off
books or magazines and requires publications to be mailed directly from publishers.
The federal Bureau of Prisons requires that books be shipped directly from the
publisher, a book club or a bookstore, with newspapers and magazines allowed
depending upon the security level of the prison.
Book sellers, including Barnes & Noble, featured an online form to send a book into a
correctional facility, requiring the buyer to check a box indicating the recipient is
incarcerated. Sellers also encourage senders to include the inmate's assigned number
on the mailing address.
Rand Champion, a spokesman for the Department of Corrections, said inmates have
access to more than 50,000 titles on their state-issued tablets and can request books
through the prison libraries. Available materials include religious texts, self-help books
and some fiction and nonfiction works, he said.
The ban in Arkansas will likely prove devastating to people in prison, said Robin
Graham, the publisher of Spotlight on Recovery, a magazine with writers in 93 prisons
across 34 states, including Arkansas. Graham noted she won't be able to send copies of
the magazine to her inmate correspondents in the state.
Books and magazines, already in short supply in prison, keep inmates connected to the
outside world, as well as serve as a method of rehabilitation, Graham said.
"They are hurting the support that is needed for prisoners to change their lives,"
Graham said.
What's on the shelves of prison libraries varies by facility and the libraries generally
are not well-funded, while also curated by prison officials, so they may not have the
books inmates want or need, Bertram said. Without access to books of interest or help,
an inmate may not get needed assistance or be able to pass time quietly, Bertram said.
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Arkansas set to impose nation’s strictest ban on sending books, magazines to prisons | The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette - Arkansa…

In September, the Department of Corrections required all nonlegal mail to be sent to a
central scanning center in Tampa, Fla., and digitally delivered to inmates, many of
whom have access to tablets. Inmates without tablets get a printout of their mail.
Letters from attorneys and privileged correspondence are still directly sent to the
prisons. The policy is similar to one used in other states.

Support journalism that digs deeper into topics that matter most to Arkansans. Donate
today to preserve the quality and integrity of local journalism.

Brett Barrouquere
bbarrouquere@adgnewsroom.com
Brett Barrouquere is a staff writer with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. A reporter and editor
for more than 30 years, he's worked a little bit of everywhere, mainly in the South. His most
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Arkansas set to impose nation’s strictest ban on sending books, magazines to prisons | The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette - Arkansa…

recent stop before Arkansas was in Baltimore, Maryland, as a night and
breaking news editor. He's a New Orleans native and has two daughters.

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