Prison book ban lifted

The Rutherford Institute is claiming victory for the Virginia Department of Corrections' reversal of its decision to shut down "Books Behind Bars," a volunteer program that sends books to inmates. According to a press release from the civil liberties organization, one day after Rutherford's September 14 letter advising that the ban violated the First Amendment, Gene Johnson, head of the DOC, wrote Books organizer Kay Allison, who owns Quest Bookshop, to say the program has been reinstated and prisoners may receive three books a month.