HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_015290.jpg
1.24 MB
Extraction Summary
4
People
4
Organizations
2
Locations
3
Events
2
Relationships
3
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Narrative/report excerpt (house oversight release)
File Size:
1.24 MB
Summary
This document appears to be an excerpt from a narrative or report discussing prison censorship. It details the specific case of Todd McCormick, whose book 'Magic Mushrooms and Other Highs' was rejected by prison authorities, and notes that upon his 2003 release to a halfway house, his reading materials were confiscated. A postscript discusses a 2011 legal challenge by the ACLU and 'Prison Legal News' against a South Carolina jail that banned all books except the Bible.
People (4)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Todd McCormick | Prisoner/Author |
Released from prison in December 2003; author of 'Magic Mushrooms and Other Highs'; had books confiscated at halfway ...
|
| Regional Director of the Bureau of Prisons | Government Official |
Recipient of an appeal regarding a rejected book.
|
| Warden | Prison Official |
Instructed the narrator to appeal to the Regional Director.
|
| Unnamed Narrator ('I') | Author/Advocate |
Wrote appeals regarding the rejection of McCormick's book.
|
Organizations (4)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Bureau of Prisons |
Government agency overseeing the prison.
|
|
| ACLU |
American Civil Liberties Union; contacted for help; filed suit in May 2011 regarding SC jail.
|
|
| Prison Legal News |
Plaintiff in a lawsuit; publication sent to prisoners.
|
|
| House Oversight Committee |
Source of the document (indicated by footer).
|
Timeline (3 events)
Since 2008
Copies of Prison Legal News sent to prisoners have been returned to sender.
South Carolina Jail
Prison Legal News
Prison Staff
Locations (2)
| Location | Context |
|---|---|
|
Location of a jail mentioned in the postscript.
|
|
|
Location where Todd McCormick was discharged and had property confiscated.
|
Relationships (2)
Narrator appealed on behalf of McCormick's book rejection.
McCormick was imprisoned under their jurisdiction.
Key Quotes (3)
"The name of the game is control in the guise of security--a microcosm of the nation outside prison walls--the practice of power without compassion."Source
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Quote #1
"However, he was discharged to a halfway house, where all his books and magazines were confiscated as 'paraphernalia.'"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_015290.jpg
Quote #2
"Our inmates are only allowed to receive soft back bibles in the mail directly from the publisher. They are not allowed to have magazines, newspapers, or any other type of books."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_015290.jpg
Quote #3
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (1,258 characters)
The name of the game is control in the guise of security--a microcosm of the nation outside prison walls--the practice of power without compassion.
After Magic Mushrooms and Other Highs was rejected for the second time, I appealed to the Regional Director of the Bureau of Prisons (as instructed by the warden) for an independent review. I also wrote to the ACLU. I heard back from neither. Todd McCormick was released from prison in December 2003. Among so many other things to catch up on, he would finally be able to read what he had written. However, he was discharged to a halfway house, where all his books and magazines were confiscated as "paraphernalia."
Postscript: Prisoners at a jail in South Carolina are being denied any reading material other than the Bible. In May 2011, the ACLU asked a federal judge to block enforcement of that policy. A staff member at the prison told plaintiff Prison Legal News. "Our inmates are only allowed to receive soft back bibles in the mail directly from the publisher. They are not allowed to have magazines, newspapers, or any other type of books." There is no library there, and since 2008, all copies of Prison Legal News that were sent to prisoners have been "returned to sender."
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_015290
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