‘50 Shades’ and a coloring book are among the titles banned in NC prisons
A newspaper and a Black Lives Matter coloring book are among hundreds of publications banned in North Carolina prisons. The reasons why are varied or not disclosed.
Some books about civil rights — including four on activist Malcolm X — also appear on a list of prohibited content obtained by The Charlotte Observer through a public records request. The 18-page list includes books and publications about transgender health care and paganism.
The restrictions on books featuring civil rights topics and Malcolm X isn’t unique to North Carolina.
Earlier this year, a nonprofit dedicated to sending books to correctional facilities sounded an alarm when donations were being rejected.
Seattle-based Books to Prisoners said it received a rejection notice when it sent a Malcolm X biography meant for incarcerated teens in Tennessee.
“This is part of an insidious pattern of targeted bans by prisons against Black authors and against literature critiquing the prison system and power structures in this country,” the organization posted on Twitter in January along with the rejection notice.
Books sent to North Carolina facilities — whether they are donated, ordered by those in a prison, or maintained by the library— must be approved by the publication review committee, according to the state Department of Public Safety.
NCDPS spokesman John Bull told the Observer in an email that its policy aligns with the American Correctional Association, which has a suggested standard on this subject. The ACA is a nonprofit accrediting agency for corrections facilities.
A ban on a specific title is valid for one year, Bull said. NCDPS did not specify reasons these titles appear on its “disapproved” list, and instead referred the Observer to the state’s general policy.
“Please do not state or imply that publications about the subjects that you listed are banned,” Bull said. “That is not true. Certain publications are prohibited because of specific language or images used in them that meets the criteria for disapproval.”
Common reasons the publication review committee can choose to prohibit a title include:
▪ descriptions of criminal activity;
▪ information on the manufacture of weapons and escape techniques;
▪ sexually explicit material;
▪ information on how to manufacture drugs;
▪ writing that advocates for violence against a specific group;
▪ material that supports a group that poses a “security threat.”
The NCDPS Division of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention does not have a list of banned or prohibited books for juvenile correctional facility libraries, spokesman Jerry Higgins said.
“However, per policy, the director or designee in each facility approves all books, magazines and videos to which juveniles have access,” Higgins told the Observer in an email.
The Mecklenburg County Jail maintains a separate, shorter list of banned publications, and most of this list is comprised of pornography.
Satanism and Stephen King on NC list
As of February, NCDPS banned approximately 839 titles. Many of the banned magazines, pamphlets and books are sexually explicit. Others are about murder and serial killers, and still others focus on guns, tattoos, and survival tactics.
Many of these books can be borrowed from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Library system. A search of the system’s online catalog showed 108 results for titles relating to Malcolm X.
After reviewing the list, these are the titles that most stood out to the Observer, in no particular order:
Books
▪ “But Didn’t You Kill Malcolm?” by Demetric Muhammad
▪ “Book of Satanic Magic” by Aleister Nacht
▪ “Fifty Shades of Grey” by E.L. James
▪ “Malcolm X on Afro-American History” by Malcolm X
▪ “Malcolm X: The Man and His Times” by John Henrik Clarke
▪ “Solitary” by Albert Woodfox
▪ “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” by Alex Haley and Malcolm X
▪ “The Complete Book of Devils and Demons” by Leonard R. N. Ashley
▪ “The Complete Guide to Wiring” (7th edition)
▪ “The Dark Tower” books II-IV by Stephen King
▪ “The Only Astrology Book You’ll Ever Need” by Joanna Martine Woolfolk
▪ “The Outsider” by Stephen King
▪ “The Pagan Book of Days” by Nigel Pennick
▪ “Trans Bodies, Trans Selves”
▪ “Doctor Sleep” by Stephen King
Other titles
▪ Carolina Weekly, newspaper
▪ “I Can’t Breathe,” a coloring book featuring Black Lives Matter activism and messaging.
Those in prison have the opportunity to appeal a banned book with the Publication Review Committee, according to NCDPS policy.
