A Request we can't Honor

We received a letter from an inmate asking us to refrain from bringing books with sex and violence into the jail environment. His goal was less about moral reform than psychological well-being. He said that literature can damage the minds of the readers so as to cause more harm to the minds or elicit more illicit activity from those who are caught up in "The Game."

Our library service to jail does have some limitations, but it is not structured as a program for psychological self-improvement. We cannot assume that reading books with sex and violence (which often include hard-hitting lessons on the moral repercussions of one's acts,) damage readers' minds. We follow A.L.A.'s guidelines for library service to special populations and bring the full range of material available in a public library. Even if fiction has not become established as classic and morally uplifting, it deserves a chance to be read.

The real pity is that many voices are censored by simply falling through the cracks of the publishing world. Moral clarity might be hiding out there in some amazing minds, but we will never hear it. These cracks in the tolerant surface of the publishing world continue to suck down dissenting voices and alternate views.

Contrary to our best intentions, censorship does occur. The Jail Administration and some Deputies occasionally ask us to censor certain books for their perceived effect on morale or because they are being used to break rules and subvert authority. This kind of censorship is rare and, on occasion, we offer a rebuttal and give reasons why the books have been popular and pose no threat. Sometimes we lose.

Our distressed inmate concluded with a request we can honor: "Please bring books like the Dancing Wu-Li Masters." We'll do our darnedest to satisfy his book request, as it falls within our guidelines of honoring requests for educational literature. We would gladly offer him the best non-fiction self-help and philosophy our budget can buy.