At the Berkeley County Detention Center in South Carolina, prisoners are allowed to read the Bible -- and nothing else. Under Sheriff H. Wayne Dewitt's policy, inmates are not allowed to receive any books or magazines. Since the prison has no library of its own, that means inmates go months, sometimes years, without access to any reading material.

The prison's policy is not only plainly unconstitutional, but counterproductive to the goals of reducing recidivism and easing an inmate's transition back into society. That's why the ACLU has sued Sheriff Dewitt and other officials at the prison.

But it shouldn't take a lawsuit for officials to do the right thing. It's not coddling to let prisoners stimulate their minds through reading -- it's humane and makes for smart policy. Join with Change.org in calling on Sheriff Dewitt to scrap his no-reading policy and let books back into the prison.

Photo Credit: Henry Hagñas