Ban denounced as vindictive by authors is essential to new regime of rewards and privileges, government says

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

Justice ministers have defended their ban on sending books to prisoners in England and Wales, saying it is integral to a new system of rewards and punishments.

The ban on books being sent to prisoners by families and friends is part of a new "incentives and earned privileges" regime, introduced last November, which allows prisoners access to funds to buy books and other items as they move up from "basic" level.

Justice ministry officials say lifting the ban on sending in books would undermine the basis of the new regime.

The prisons minister, Jeremy Wright, said: "The notion that we are banning books in prisons is complete nonsense. All prisoners can have up to 12 books in their cells at any one time, and all prisoners have access to the prison library.

"Under the incentives and earned privileges scheme, if prisoners engage with their rehabilitation and comply with the regime, they can have greater access to funds to buy items, including books."

Prisoners who are allowed to buy books can order them from catalogues.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) defended the new rules in the face of a growing protest by novelists and other authors against their introduction by the justice secretary, Chris Grayling. The ban was highlighted by the Howard League for Penal Reform.

Prominent writers including Philip Pullman, Ian Rankin, Linda Grant and Professor Mary Beard, as well as others including the musician Billy Bragg, have demanded that Grayling drop the ban.

Pullman tweeted: "It's one of the most disgusting, mean, vindictive acts of a barbaric government."

The crime novelist Rankin said: "From visits to prisons and talking to prisoners, I know how important books can be in promoting literacy and connecting prisoners to society."

Bragg tweeted: "People in prison need rehabilitation, not retribution. Coalition bans guitars, now deny prisoners books."

The Booker prize-shortlisted novelist Grant said she was organising a protest against the rule, while Beard said: "Books educate and rehabilitate. Crazy to ban them being sent to prisoners in jail as Lord Chancellor is reported."

The growing protest followed a blog by Frances Crook, the director of the Howard League for Penal Reform, highlighting the changes in the incentives and privileges regime. Crook said banning books was in some ways "the most despicable and nastiest element" of the new rules.

She said: "The rules governing possessions of prisoners are arcane and not consistently applied by every prison. These new restrictions relate to a downgrading of the system of rewards and punishments, ostensibly designed to encourage prisoners to comply with prison rules.

"Yet the ban on receiving books is a blanket decision, so no matter how compliant and well behaved you are, no prisoner will be allowed to receive books from outside."

Crook said prison libraries were not a satisfactory alternative as they were supplied and funded by local authorities, many of which were now closing and cutting costs. A spokeswoman for the MoJ denied that any prison libraries had closed.

Crook said the new rules also banned families from sending small items to prisoners, including homemade birthday cards, specialist magazines and some clothing, such as underwear.

The new rules, introduced last November, also saw convicted prisoners required to wear prison uniform for the first two weeks of their sentence. Many prisoners also lost their automatic daily access to a gym and to daytime television.

The change in the punishment system in jails in England and Wales also meant individual prison governors lost much of their discretion over which perks and privileges could be used to reward good behaviour; these are now prescribed nationally by the MoJ.