Popular TV mag is top choice of inmates at Fenland prison
Flicking through a magazine may be a way to while away time on lockdown, but we can now reveal the top choices among prisoners on a different kind of lockdown.
Adequate access to books and magazines on the inside has been a topic of controversy in recent times, so we wanted to find out which magazine titles are topping the best-seller lists at Whitemoor prison in March as well other prisons in the region.
You might think that men's health, sport or lifestyle would be top of the most-requested reads but a Freedom of Information request has revealed quite a surprising answer to what Whitemoor's top security prisoners look forward to each week.
Prisoners are allowed to borrow magazines from the prison library, if they are available. If they want to order certain titles, they will pay for these from their own money, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) revealed.
At Whitemoor the most popular magazine is TV Choice, clearly watching television is one of the few options open to the prisoners, so knowing what programmes are on and when could be very useful. Wayland jail's inmates also went for TV Choice, published weekly and costing 65p.
But while it's all about the tele at Whitemoor and Wayland at nearby Littlehey prison near Huntingdon it is all about cars with AutoCar favourite at Littlehey Woodland library and Top Gear at Littlehey Lakeside library.
Although it seems offenders have a selection of reading options to choose from, there are some titles which are strictly prohibited inside the walls.
The Prison Service's Public Protection Manual contains a detailed explanation of banned materials - including magazines, books, films and music - which relate to subjects such as race hate, terrorism and child sexual abuse.
The FOI request also asked which library book was the most popular, but this wasn't answered as the MoJ said prison libraries did not record this information.
Having enough access to quality reading material for those serving their sentences has long been a campaigning issue for the Howard League for Penal Reform, a national charity which fights for prisoner welfare and improvements to life inside.
The charity was at the forefront of the battle to overturn unlawful restrictions imposed by the then Secretary of State for Justice, Chris Grayling, on sending books to inmates.
But the victory for that campaign - which saw the ban scrapped by the High Court - has not stopped the Howard League from highlighting the ongoing challenge of supplying adequate reading material at a time when prison resources are increasingly stretched.
