Wisconsin closing the book on donations to prisoners

Donations of used books to Wisconsin prisons have stopped. The Department of Corrections made the decision because secondhand books are used to get drugs into prisons. Opponents of the move, including the Madison-based nonprofit Wisconsin Books to Prisoners, say the agency is limiting inmates’ access to information as it fails to pinpoint other entry points for drugs, including prison staff. The non-profit has provided used books to prisoners for nearly 20 years. The ACLU of Wisconsin has begun investigating the matter.