Without warning, Washington state’s Department of Corrections (WA DOC) enacted a policy banning direct book and comics donations from nonprofits to people incarcerated in the state. WA DOC claims this change is necessary to due to lack of resources available…
33 search results for "Prisons"
Supreme Court Rejects Petition from Prison Legal News
On Monday, January 7th the Supreme Court rejected a First Amendment dispute over the Florida Department of Corrections statewide ban of Prison Legal News (PLN), a magazine distributed monthly by Human Rights Defense Center. The ban has been in place…
Donate Comics, Manga, and Drawing Books to People Who Really Want Them
One of the front lines in the fight for First Amendment rights was in prisons around the country in 2018. CBLDF tried to cover these news stories, as lists of censored works emerged, or lawsuits were filed, or legislation overturned.…
Maryland Restricts Inmates Access to Books
Maryland prisons are infringing on inmates right to read under the guise of reducing drug smuggling. In a statewide policy, Maryland prisoners may no longer receive books sent by friends, relatives, online retailers, and nonprofits, limiting the access of 20,000…
Cuomo Ditches Flawed Prison Directive
On January 12th, 2018, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo tweeted he would rescind directive 4911A, which greatly restricted inmates access to books as well as fresh fruit and vegetables. The directive was a pilot program designed to roll out…
In Exile, Venezuelan Cartoonist Finds Space to Criticize Government Oppression
Rayma Suprani has long been one of the best-known and most fearless political cartoonists in Venezuela, but for almost a year she and her work have only been “in” the country virtually, through social media. After El Universal, the newspaper…
Profiles in Black Cartooning: Kyle Baker
In celebration of Black History Month, CBLDF has partnered with Black Nerd Problems to spotlight Black comics creators and cartoonists who made significant contributions to free expression. Visit CBLDF.org throughout the month of February to learn more! Over a more than 30-year career, Kyle…
Two Killed in Copenhagen Attacks on Free Speech Panel and Synagogue
A gunman opened fire on a Copenhagen cafe that was hosting a discussion on art, free speech, and blasphemy on Saturday, killing one attendee and injuring three police officers. The apparent target of the attack, Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks, was…
Connecticut Inmate Sues for Access to Art Books
A Connecticut prisoner is suing the state after he was denied access to three art books and another on childbirth, all of which appear to meet the guidelines for books that should be allowed under a Department of Correction policy…
Using Graphic Novels in Education: Amulet
Welcome to Using Graphic Novels in Education, an ongoing feature from CBLDF that is designed to allay confusion around the content of graphic novels and to help parents and teachers raise readers. In this column, we examine graphic novels, including those…