Bureau of Prisons Backs Off Prison Chapel Library Project

Under pressure from religious and civil liberties groups, as well as from the American Library Association, last Wednesday the U.S. Bureau of prisons announced that it would abandon its attempt to create lists of acceptable books on religious topics for prison chapel libraries. The New York Times reported that in an e-mail, the Bureau announced that it would: "begin immediately to return to chapel libraries materials that were removed in June 2007, with the exception of any publications that have been found to be inappropriate, such as material that could be radicalizing or incite violence. The review of all materials in chapel libraries will be completed by the end of January 2008." (See prior related posting.) [Thanks to Melissa Rogers for the lead.]