Pennsylvania prisons reverse course on book-donation ban

The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, facing pressure from charitable groups, has reversed course on its ban of donated books.

Officials had cited drug smuggling as their reason for forbidding donations, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer — pages could be (and were) soaked in synthetic cannabinoids.

Books will now pass through a “secure processing center” where staff can screen them, the Inquirer reports.

Read the full story and past coverage of the issue here.

And if you're cheering for the book-donor programs' victory, you'll certainly love reading author Chris Wilson's piece on Medium about the books that saved his life in prison.