(a) Publications. Inmates may subscribe to, purchase, or have items sent in to them such as newspapers, periodicals, magazines or books. If subscriptions or books are purchased for the inmate by a third party or donated to an inmate, they must be mailed directly from a book store, book distributor, or publisher. Personal correspondents cannot mail books, periodicals, or other publications directly to inmates and state that they are a donation. There shall be no “Approved Vendor Lists” for any publications.

(b) Processing and Inspection of Incoming Magazines and Newspapers. All magazines and newspapers shall be inspected prior to issuance to ensure that they comply with sections 3006, 3134, and 3135. Attached free CD's and packaged samples of perfume, lotion, moisturizers, stickers, or any item deemed to be contraband, contained in magazines shall be removed; notification of such to the inmate is not required. No other items shall be removed from a magazine or other publication in order to issue it to an inmate.

(c) Processing and Inspection of Incoming Books. All incoming paperback and hardback books and any enclosures within them shall be inspected prior to issuance to ensure they comply with sections 3006, 3134, and 3135. For hardback books staff shall allow the inmate to determine whether to accept the book with the cover removed or, if that option is declined, decide how the book is to be disposed of per section 3191(c). If the inmate chooses to accept the book, staff shall insure the book does not violate any other departmental regulation, and then shall remove the entire cover in front of the inmate. Should such removal render the book unstable, staff shall take measures to ensure the book remains intact.

(d) Notifications, to Publisher, to the Inmate, and to the Division of Adult Institutions (DAI) for Disapproval of Publication. When incoming books, magazines, or publications to an inmate are withheld or disallowed on a temporary basis by the institution pending approval from DAI, a letter shall be sent by the institution to the publisher explaining why the item was denied. A book, magazine, or publication denied to an inmate(s) based on a violation of departmental regulation or policy, and that is not included on the current Centralized List of Disapproved Publications (Centralized List) pursuant to subsection 3134.1(e), shall only require one notification letter per institution to be sent to the publisher. At a minimum the letter must include the reason why the book, magazine, or publication was denied, the names and CDCR number for all inmates, the applicable CCR section that the publication violates, and a notice to the Publisher of their right to appeal pursuant to subsection 3137(c). The letter must be sent within 15 calendar days of the determination to disallow the book, magazine or publication, with a copy of the notification letter and supporting documents to be retained by the facility for a minimum of seven years. Concurrent to the letter to the publisher, when incoming or outgoing publications addressed to or being sent by an inmate are withheld or disallowed, the institution shall also notify the inmate addressee via CDCR Form 1819 (Rev. 07/18), Notification of Disapproval-Mail/Packages/Publications, which is incorporated by reference. The CDCR Form 1819 shall include the reason, disposition, name of official disallowing the publication, and the name of the official to whom a grievance can be directed.

The institution shall also concurrently notify DAI and request that DAI affirm or deny the withholding of the temporarily disallowed publication. DAI shall provide the decision within 30 calendar days of receiving the request. If DAI affirms the withholding of the publication, disallowance of the publication shall become permanent. If DAI denies the withholding of the publication, the institution shall deliver the publication to the inmate within 15 calendar days, upon receipt of DAI's decision.

For periodicals, as defined in subsection 3133(a)(3), the DAI may include a periodical on the Centralized List, in accordance with subsection 3134.1(e), provided that all issues of the publication for twelve consecutive months violate departmental regulation or policy. However, an institution may disallow individual issues of a periodical in accordance with this subsection. The disallowance of individual issues of a periodical shall become permanent, as to those issues only, if DAI affirms an institution's decision to temporarily withhold or disallow the individual issues. If the DAI denies the institution's decision to temporarily withhold individual issues of a periodical, the institutional shall deliver those issues to the inmate within 15 calendar days upon receipt of DAI's decision.

(e) Centralized List Of Disapproved Publications. The Division of Adult Institutions shall distribute to each institution a Centralized List of Disapproved Publications that are prohibited as contraband. Examples of publications that would be included on the Centralized List would include, but not be limited to, publications that contain, obscene material as described in subsection 3006(c)(15), sexually explicit images that depict frontal nudity as described in subsection 3006(c)(17)(A) warfare or weaponry, bomb making instructions, or STG written materials or photographs, as described in subsections 3378.2(b)(5)-(6). Publications that are enumerated on the Centralized List are not allowed in any institution. Local institutions may not add items to the Centralized List. When a publication is placed on the Centralized List, the Division of Adult Institutions shall send a letter to the publisher explaining why the publication was excluded. At a minimum, the letter must include the reason why the publication is excluded, the applicable CCR section that the publication violates, and a notice to the Publisher of its right to complain per CCR subsection 3137(c). The letter must be sent within 15 calendar days of the determination to disapprove the publication, with a copy of the notification letter and supporting documents to be retained by the facility for a minimum of seven years.