Friends and family of Missouri Department Of Corrections inmates banned from giving them books

Starting today, friends and family members of prison inmates in Missouri are banned from giving them books and magazines, even if they come from an authorized vendor. 

DOC officials say it’s because books and magazines are being used to smuggle drugs inside prisons across Missouri. 

In many cases, the pages of magazines and books have been soaked in liquid narcotics – including fentanyl – with the pages then being ingested by inmates. 

People have also hidden drugs in the spines of books given to prisoners. 

The DOC says from now on, anyone who wants to give a book or magazine to an inmate can donate funds to an inmate’s account so they can purchase it themselves.