The Prison Library Project has launched 'Contrabanned,' a women's health book campaign designed to provide crucial health information to the 975,000 incarcerated women in the United States who often lack access to basic health literacy resources. This initiative, unveiled during Prison Banned Books Week in September 2024, addresses the systematic banning of women's health books in many state prisons, where depictions of female anatomy are frequently labeled as 'sexually explicit' and prohibited.
The campaign ingeniously circumvents these restrictions by sending each of the book's 250 pages as individual letters, which are not subject to the same censorship as complete books. Over three months, each page was sent to an anonymous incarcerated woman, a former nurse, who assembled the pages into a complete book using dental floss available in the prison commissary. This method not only bypassed the ban but enabled the creation and distribution of multiple copies within the prison system.
The content of 'Contrabanned' was created by female health literacy experts and medical students specifically for incarcerated women, covering essential topics including menstrual health, breast cancer, and sexual health. Importantly, the material is written at a level accessible to the 70% of incarcerated women who read below a fourth-grade level, addressing a critical gap in health education for this population. Mckenna Deluca from the Prison Library Project emphasized that peer education, which this initiative facilitates, reduces risky behavior and reincarceration rates according to research.
The campaign extends beyond book creation with the Prison Library Project launching a petition at https://chng.it/x47hTdgcgf aimed at making 'Contrabanned' the first approved women's health book across the prison system. This effort highlights growing concerns about censorship in prison libraries and advocates for universal access to health education. Dr. Susan Andreas, a contributor to the book and Director of Health Literacy at one of the Purpose Group agencies, noted that women with limited health literacy tend to have higher hospitalization rates and are more likely to suffer from chronic conditions, making access to health literate content particularly important.
To support this initiative, the public can donate funds for postage to enable creation of more books and sign the petition at Contrabanned.us. By creatively overcoming censorship barriers, 'Contrabanned' provides vital information to a vulnerable population while challenging systemic issues that limit access to health education in prisons, potentially sparking broader discussions about prison reform and the rights of incarcerated individuals to essential information.
