'Caught Looking, Erotic Tales of Voyeurs' and other surprising things Pa. prisoners can read

York Daily Record

Take a look at Pennsylvania Department of Corrections' list of books, magazines and other publications that are banned at all state prisons, and you'll notice something right away: There are also a lot of books that are allowed in prisons included in the list.

And some of them are pretty surprising.

See the whole list:Books banned at Pa. prisons

Here's what's going on: When a book is banned at one state prison, the inmate and the publisher have a chance to appeal. Then the state records their final decision in the list — whether the book was allowed or not.

Search the list for books that are permitted, and you essentially get a list of publications that sound like they maybe shouldn't be allowed in prison, but have been ruled admissible.

Take this for example: "Complete Book of Spells, Ceremonies & Magic." That book was reviewed by Religious and Legal Services, which found that it was "a historical study of magic/religion and it does not endorse the practices it describes. Therefore, it should be permitted."

Here's five other surprising examples:

"A Biblical Approach to Miscegenation": We'll look it up for you — it means "a mixture of races; especially : marriage, cohabitation, or sexual intercourse between a white person and a member of another race," according to Merriam Webster
"Caught Looking, Erotic Tales of Voyeurs": There's many examples of permitted erotica on the list, but considering voyeurism has legal implications ... This one is especially surprising.
"Pocket Guide to Prescription Drugs": This definitely has legitimate uses.
"Secrets of a Side Bitch 3": Here's a promising excerpt from Amazon's summary: "Amidst the hot and steamy passion, which builds between Gia and Chance like a scorching inferno, is the fear of Chance being locked away for the rest of his life."
"Were All the People of Earth Drowned in the Flood?": Great question.