Existing law grants a person sentenced to imprisonment the right to purchase, receive, and read any and all newspapers, periodicals, and books, as specified, subject to restrictions reasonably related to legitimate penological interests. Existing law authorizes the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to prescribe and amend rules and regulations for the administration of state prisons, including determining which materials are a threat to legitimate penological interests. Existing law creates the Office of the Inspector General and grants the Inspector General responsibility for oversight of the department, as specified.
This bill would require the Inspector General to post the list of materials that have been banned
Centralized List of Disapproved Publications maintained by the department on the office’s internet website. The bill would authorize the Inspector General General, upon request, to review materials publications on the list
to determine whether there is a legitimate penological interest for the publication being on the banned materials list, list and, if not, would authorize the Inspector General to require the department to remove that material from the department’s banned materials list. list of disapproved publications.