In August, Virginia prison officials suspended deliveries of books to prisoners from the nonprofit Quest Institute, which has been providing free reading materials on request to state prisoners for two decades. The group sent more than a million books to Virginia prisoners before it deliveries were abruptly suspended in August. The state said scanning the donated books for enclosed contraband is a security risk and creates too much work for prison officers.

Education in prison is a critical need, and programs across the country are facing cutbacks this year due to budget shortfalls. Please take action below to urge Virginia Department of Corrections Director Gene Johnson to reconsider accepting donations from Books Behind Bars.