Ill. Admin. Code tit. 20, § 525.230 - Procedure for Review of Publications
a) A Publication Review Officer, hereafter
referred to as Officer, shall review publications to determine whether to
recommend prohibiting acceptance of any publications that he or she finds to
contain material determined to be:
1)
Obscene ;
2) Detrimental to
security, good order, rehabilitation, or discipline or if it might facilitate
criminal activity, or be detrimental to mental health needs of an offender as
determined by a mental health professional.
b) A publication may not be rejected solely
because its content is religious, philosophical, political, social, or sexual
or because its contents are unpopular or repugnant. A publication that may be
rejected includes, but is not limited to, a publication or portion thereof that
meets one of the following criteria:
1) It is
obscene ;
2) It is written in code
or facilitates communication between offenders;
3) It depicts, describes, or encourages
activities that may lead to the use of physical violence or group disruption or
it facilitates organizational activity without approval of the Chief
Administrative Officer ;
4) It
advocates or encourages violence, hatred, or group disruption or it poses an
intolerable risk of violence or disruption;
5) It encourages or instructs in the
commission of criminal activity;
6)
It includes sexually explicit material that by its nature or content poses a
threat to security, good order, or discipline or it facilitates criminal
activity;
7) It is otherwise
detrimental to security, good order, rehabilitation, or discipline or it might
facilitate criminal activity or be detrimental to mental health.
c) If a review is initiated, the
offender shall be notified in writing that the publication is under review and
the notice shall include an explanation why the publication is deemed to
contain unacceptable material in accordance with the standards set forth in
this Section. If the publication was mailed directly from the publisher, a copy
of the notice shall be sent to the publisher. The written notice shall be sent
to the offender and the publisher, if applicable, no later than 30 days from
the date the correctional facility receives the publication. The written notice
shall indicate that:
1) The offender may
submit a written supportive statement or other documentation within seven days
after the date of the notice that the publication is under review. An extension
will be granted if in the opinion of the Officer there is a legitimate reason
why relevant information could not be submitted timely.
2) The publisher shall be allowed 21 days
from the date of the notice to file an objection and to submit a written
supportive statement or other documentation.
3) The offender may request to appear before
the Officer. The appearance will be allowed if the Officer determines that the
appearance is necessary for an appropriate review.
4) The offender may ask for assistance or
information regarding the publication review procedure.
5) If the publication is approved, it will be
forwarded to the offender upon completion of the review. If the publication is
not provided to the offender within 60 days after the date of the written
notice, the publication shall be deemed disapproved and the offender may file a
grievance in accordance with 20 Ill. Adm. Code 504: Subpart F.
d) Any recommendation for denial
shall be forwarded to the Chief Administrative Officer with an explanation. If
the Chief Administrative Officer concurs with the recommendation to deny the
publication, the publication shall be disapproved.
e) The Publication Review Officer shall
maintain copies of decisions in a designated area for at least three
years.
f) If after six consecutive
issues of a publication have been denied and it is determined unlikely that
future issues of the publication will be approved, the publication may be
banned.
g) If the characteristic
content of a banned publication significantly changes to no longer warrant
denial of the publication in accordance with this Section, an offender may
request another review of the publication by the Officer. A previously banned
publication shall be subject to review no more frequently than every four
months. If a review is to be initiated, the offender shall be advised to
arrange for one or more issues of the publication to be submitted to the
Officer at the offender 's expense.
1) The
review shall be conducted in the same manner as the initial review of the
publication .
2) If an issue of a
previously banned publication is approved, an offender may request subsequent
issues to be reviewed notwithstanding the four month review period.
3) The Officer may recommend that a
previously banned publication be approved.
h) The Director may establish a Central
Publication Review Committee to periodically review and make recommendations
regarding facility determinations or recommendations to the Director who may
approve or disapprove the recommendations based on the standards set forth in
this Section. If a Committee is appointed:
1)
Committee members shall consist of at least one representative each from
administrative and operational staff.
2) Reviews need only be conducted by one
member of the Committee.
3) The
facility and the offender shall be notified of any decision made by the
Director .
Notes
Amended at 30 Ill. Reg. 14843, effective September 1, 2006
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