New York’s Prison System Abruptly Halts a Policy Censoring Artists and Writers

The Nation, June 8, 2023: New York’s Prison System Abruptly Halts a Policy Censoring Artists and Writers

“Stanley Bellamy was outraged when he learned that New York’s prison system had introduced rules placing onerous restrictions and lengthy approval processes for incarcerated writers and artists.

“If not for his ability to publish, Bellamy might still be incarcerated. From prison, he published pieces about aging, and dying, in prison, the coronavirus crisis, and the urgency of reexamining lifelong sentences. These stories not only shed light on issues hidden behind prison walls but also demonstrated his own growth behind bars.

“‘It was because I was able to write and get published that I was able to raise these issues—and my profile,’ Bellamy told The Nation. The 61-year-old strongly believes that these articles helped demonstrate to Governor Kathy Hochul that he deserved a second chance, leading to her decision to commute his 62.5-years-to-life sentence last December. Otherwise, he would have had to wait for his first parole hearing in December 2047.

“On May 11, New York’s Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) quietly issued Directive 4406, requiring incarcerated writers and artists to submit all creative works to the prison superintendent for approval before being sent to a nonprofit organization for publication or exhibition. Writers and artists would not be allowed to receive money, or even a nonfinancial prize such as a book, for their works. The directive defined creative works as including books, art, music, poetry, film scripts, and other writings. It allowed the superintendent to deny approval based on several vaguely worded criteria, including any depiction of the author or artist’s crime or victims, advocating rebellion against governmental authority, or portraying law enforcement or DOCCS ‘in a manner which could jeopardize safety and security.’”

Additional reading:

The Marshall Project, December 21, 2022: Why Would Prisons Ban My Book? Absurdities Rule the System

The Guardian, April 19, 2020: I am a prisoner in New York State. I am asking Governor Cuomo for compassion

PEN American, September 2019: Literature Locked Up: How Prison Book Restriction Policies Constitute the Nation’s Largest Book Ban