Hackney-based Howard League calls on Chris Grayling to reverse prisons’ book ban

Hackney-based charity The Howard League for Penal Reform has hit out at restrictions on prisoners receiving books.

New rules on families and friends posting books to relatives behind bars were introduced last year by the Ministry of Justice as part of a crackdown on “perks and privileges”.

Leading authors including Carol Ann Duffy, David Hare, Hermione Lee and Mark Haddon have spoken out against the Ministry of Justice’s attitude to convicts’ access to reading materials.

A Ministry of Justice press spokesperson said the MoJ was considering The Howard League’s request for a meeting with justice secretary Chris Grayling on the subject.

Jo Glanville, Director of English PEN – a charity whose tagline is ‘Freedom to Read, Freedom to Write’ – said: “The continuing ban deprives prisoners of access to all the possibilities of learning and literature that these choices represent. It’s time for the government to reverse its policy.”

The Howard League said there was no security risk involved in allowing prisoners greater access to books.