Arkansas Board of Corrections (ABC) book ban delayed
- 21 hours ago
- 2 min read
On December 19, 2025, the ABC voted to enact the most restrictive prohibition on books and magazines anywhere in the US. As of February 1, 2026, people in AR state prisons would no longer be allowed to own or receive actual paper books, magazines, or newspapers. They could only read from electronic tablets or check books out from their prison's library. The only exception would be for religious material that had been mailed to a chaplain.
ABC said that such a radical approach was necessary because drug dealers were using books to smuggle their wares into prisons, soaking or spraying pages with drugs in solution. Though commonly cited by state departments of corrections around the country as an excuse to restrict access to books, methods currently used in mailrooms to test for drugs may return false positives as often as 91% of the time.
However, less than two weeks before the new rule was to take effect, opponents discovered that the ABC could not overturn the existing policy of accepting books from approved distributors, because it had been enacted by the Arkansas state legislature. Therefore, the state legislature had to approve any changes. No date has been set for the legislature to consider the ban, which would require 30 days for public comment before a vote. Meanwhile, the current policy, that "Inmates may receive publications from recognized commercial, religious, or charitable outlets", remains in place.
Decarcerate AR and the Arkansas Justice Reform Coalition began circulating an online petition against the ban in December. They are using this extra time to organize against the ban in Arkansas, and to bring it under national scrutiny. To sign the petition or contact/donate to Decarcerate AR, see their linktree, https://linktr.ee/decarceratear.
Sources:
Arkansas prisons to ban outside books, magazines in February, KARK, 1/13/26,
Arkansas Puts Complete Ban on Incoming Books, Magazines, Other Materials for Incarcerated Individuals, Book Riot, 1/22/26,
Arkansas prison book ban requires legislative approval, will NOT go into effect any time soon, Arkansas Times, 1/30/26,