Inappropriate Content: Censorship in Prison Mailrooms

Hosted by Prisoner Correspondence Project

The Prisoner Correspondence Project is a solidarity project for gay, lesbian, transsexual, transgender, gendervariant, two-spirit, intersex, bisexual and queer prisoners in Canada and the United States, linking them with people a part of these same communities outside of prison. 

Since its inception, one of the most significant barriers that the project has faced is the censorship of information and speech by prison mailrooms. Even the most benign materials–a form to fill out to be matched with a pen pal, or a list of free resources available from our library–have been flagged by prison staff as threatening to the security of the prison, and rejected. Repressive mailroom policies have direct consequences on the wellbeing of people inside, who are denied access to lifesaving information about harm reduction and gender/sexuality, or to handwritten letters from loved ones.

In this workshop, we will learn about some of the ways prisons use censorship as a tool of control–including through emerging technologies such as digital mail processing systems–, and how this affects prisoners; and will explore some methods of resisting censorship from the inside and the outside.

QPIRG-McGill (3516 Av du Parc)

Accessibility:

The library space at 3516 is partially accessible – there is a ramp to the front door, but the door is not automatic. Please ring the doorbell or call us at 514-284-2664 if you require assistance.

There is a gender-neutral bathroom on the first floor, but it is not wheelchair accessible.