Prison book program, independent bookstore to sue South Carolina Dept of Corrections (SCDC) over approved-vendor book ban
- Feb 26
- 1 min read
Last year, the SCDC began enforcing a policy that prevented people in state prisons from receiving books from any source besides six approved vendors, all of which charge for books. Asheville Prison Books (APB), a free prison book distributor like Books to Prisoners (BtP),and Firestorm Books, a local independent bookstore, are preparing to sue SCDC on constitutional grounds.
They contend that SCDC is violating their 1st Amendment right to freedom of speech by refusing to let them send books to people in SCDC custody. They also assert that SCDC is violating their 14th Amendment rights to due process and equal treatment before the law, because it presumes that they, and all other book distributors besides the six SCDC has chosen, are shipping contraband as well as books.
On January 13, attorneys representing APB and Firestorm Books gave SCDC a month to replace its current policy with one that is constitutionally compliant. Among other things, such a policy would abolish the approved-vendor list, provide a practical way for senders to contest rejections, and limit rejections to verifiable security concerns evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
SCDC has not responded, so the suit will probably go forward. You can read the demand letter, send messages of support, or donate money to APB at
Asheville Prison Books, https://avlpb.org/
c/o Downtown Books and News
67 N. Lexington Ave.
Asheville, NC 28801
