Labour renews call to lift ban on sending books to prisons

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jul/30/labour-call-lift-ban-books-prisons

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Labour has renewed its call for Chris Grayling, the justice secretary, to overturn the ban on sending books to prisons, after the government reversed its prohibition of guitar strings.

Sadiq Khan, the shadow justice secretary, accused the department of shifting its justification for the book ban over the months, originally saying it was to do with a new reward and punishment scheme, and then claiming it was to stop contraband entering the system.

He wrote: "Your department has no idea whatsoever how much contraband gets into jails through the post, and does not have any data on how many drugs got into prisons smuggled in books sent through the post. This seems to me to be a classic case of someone changing their argument when they are on the back foot.

"I hope, in the light of your decision to reverse the ban on steel guitar strings, you will also bring yourself to review and reverse the ban on sending books to prison. At a very difficult time for the prisons system, this would send out a message you value reforming prisoners, as well as punishing them, if we are to cut reoffending and keep the public safe."

The government has defended the ban on people sending books into prison, saying inmates can buy books from an approved list or order them from the library. Dozens of authors, however, including Philip Pullman and Mark Haddon, have joined a campaign for the ban to be lifted. The campaign is orchestrated by the Howard League for Penal Reform, which is urging people to inundate Grayling with books as a form of protest.

Khan said reversing the ban on steel guitar strings, following a campaign by musicians including Billy Bragg, was a "sensible response to what was an ill-judged policy".

The prohibition was lifted shortly after Andrew Selous took office as prisons minister following the reshuffle. It was welcomed by the shadow minister Kevin Brennan, who said it was a victory for common sense. "The power of music to help prisoners to rehabilitate is well documented … if we want to reduce reoffending we need to support purposeful activities like learning to play an instrument," Brennan said.

This year, Bragg and 11 other musicians including Johnny Marr, David Gilmour, Speech Debelle and Radiohead's Ed O'Brien wrote a letter published in the Guardian asking officials to lift the prisons' prohibition on steel strings. Although prisoners were allowed to continue using nylon strings, "most guitars owned or used by inmates in our prisons are steel-strung acoustics", the musicians explained. "This ruling will mean that these instruments are kept under lock and key."

Bragg heads Jail Guitar Doors, a not-for-profit organisation providing musical instruments for prisoners. "I've had a number of projects involving guitars on hold which now will be able to go ahead, and will allow those using music in prisons to get on with this important work," he said following the government's change of heart.