The Rehabilitation Through Reading Act of 2026 establishes an independent review process that restricts the Bureau of Prisons' ability to ban books from prison facilities. Under this bill, the Director of the Bureau of Prisons can only prohibit a book after submitting a written request to a newly created Publication Review Committee and receiving approval. The committee must include at least five members, including the federal prison ombudsman, a professional librarian employed by the Bureau of Prisons, an incarcerated person, and someone with First Amendment expertise. Books cannot be banned simply because officials dislike the viewpoint or content, and incarcerated individuals can appeal book prohibitions; any appeal filed before a book is removed must be decided within 90 days and will keep the book available until that decision is made. The Bureau of Prisons must also submit annual reports to Congress detailing all prohibited books and the outcomes of any appeals, beginning within 30 days after the first fiscal year following the law's enactment.
Take Action
Your position
Add a comment
to comment on this bill.
Annotate the text
Highlight any passage on the Summary or Full Text tab to attach a note. Annotations appear on the Annotations tab.