When Cherish Burtson was sent to prison, she says one of the main things that helped her get through her time was reading. She devoured memoirs and books on mindfulness, which helped her manage the challenges she experienced behind bars. After she was released, she began to volunteer with Books Through Bars San Diego, a group that provides reading materials to people who are incarcerated. But lately she’s noticed that more titles are being rejected by prison officials. This week, we bring you an excerpt of KPBS’s podcast The Finest. It explores prison book bans, which some critics are calling censorship.
In Prison, Books Can Be a Lifeline, But Advocates Worry About Access and Censorship
For Cherish Burtson, books provided a welcome escape while she was incarcerated. But getting reading materials behind bars can be challenging and critics say restrictions on what kinds of books are allowed is a form of censorship.
Cherish Burtson volunteers with Books Through Bars San Diego. Previously incarcerated, she says that books and letters were her only escape from her life behind bars. (Julia Dixon Evans/KPBS)
