Had New York Focus reporter Chris Gelardi last year not exposed a directive issued by New York corrections department to severely inhibit the flow of art and writing leaving its facilities, the department may have inspired carceral agencies across the U.S. to adopt its short-lived blueprint.
To view the potential dangers created by such directives, look no further than the federal Bureau of Prisons, where incarcerated individuals are prohibited from acting as reporters. (See: “At BOP California ‘Rape Club’ Prison: Historic Ruling, FBI Raid, Warden Removed,” Prison Legal News.)
To understand the public safety benefits of encouraging incarcerated artists and writers to work with the organizations that support them, view my May 20 op-ed, “Both Prisons and the Public Rely On Incarcerated Writers,” published by the award-winning Prison Journalism Project.