HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_015287.jpg
1.18 MB
Extraction Summary
4
People
2
Organizations
1
Locations
2
Events
1
Relationships
3
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Correspondence/narrative excerpt (part of house oversight committee production)
File Size:
1.18 MB
Summary
This document appears to be a page from a narrative or report (stamped HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_015287) discussing arbitrary prison censorship. The narrator describes an interaction with an inmate named McCormick regarding a censored book, an attempt to bypass the censor by removing offending pages, and the subsequent rejection of the book. The text also details a wider informal survey conducted by the narrator regarding banned books in prisons, citing examples like 'Trainspotting' and works by Bo Lozoff and Tom Robbins.
People (4)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| McCormick | Inmate/Correspondent |
Inmate complaining about prison censorship of books; suggested tearing out pages to bypass censors.
|
| Narrator (Unidentified 'I') | Sender/Author |
Person corresponding with McCormick, sending books to prison, and conducting a survey on prison censorship.
|
| Bo Lozoff | Author |
Author of 'Breaking Out of Jail', which was blocked by Texas DOC.
|
| Tom Robbins | Author |
Author of 'Still Life With Woodpecker', which was disallowed for bombmaking content.
|
Organizations (2)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Texas Department of Corrections |
Cited as an entity that blocked a book on meditation.
|
|
| House Oversight Committee |
Implied by the document stamp 'HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_015287'.
|
Locations (1)
| Location | Context |
|---|---|
|
Location of the Department of Corrections mentioned.
|
Relationships (1)
McCormick wrote to me... Which is exactly what I did.
Key Quotes (3)
"Can you believe this shit! I wonder how much we pay the guy/girl who actually sits and reads every book that comes in for offending passages."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_015287.jpg
Quote #1
"Obviously, McCormick was being punished simply because he could be."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_015287.jpg
Quote #2
"I wanted to see other examples of arbitrary and frivolous censorship by prison personnel."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_015287.jpg
Quote #3
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (1,179 characters)
prison riot. McCormick wrote to me, "Can you believe this shit! I wonder how much we pay the guy/girl who actually sits and reads every book that comes in for offending passages. How about you tear out pages 259-261 and re-send this book back with a copy of the rejection and a notation that the offending pages have been removed."
Which is exactly what I did. This time, though, my cover letter to the warden was ignored, and the book was returned, stamped "Unauthorized." I had called their bluff. Obviously, McCormick was being punished simply because he could be. I then corresponded with several prison correspondents around the country to find out what inmates had not been allowed to read. I wanted to see other examples of arbitrary and frivolous censorship by prison personnel. Here are some results of my informal survey:
* "The Texas Department of Corrections blocked Bo Lozoff' s Breaking Out of Jail, a book about teaching meditation to prison inmates."
* "Disallowed: Trainspotting because of its 'glorification of drug use.' Tom Robbins' Still Life With Woodpecker because it has a chapter that 'contains information about bombmaking.' "
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_015287
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