Skip to content

  • POSTS
    • NEWS
    • ANALYSIS
    • REPORTS
  • EXTRA
    • ZINES
    • GRAFFITI
    • VISUALS
  • CONTACT

Midwest Prison Censorship Update 2025: Exposing the IDOC Mail Scanning Scam

Posted on 06/09/2025 - 06/09/2025 by chicagoantireport

View the zine: Screen PDF – Printable PDF

View the Prison Censorship Survey results

Individual articles:

  • “Stop Mail Scanning in Illinois” by Anthony Ehlers
  • “The Censorship of Ideas is a Form of Psychological Warfare: A Message from the Diversionary Treatment Unit” by Hybachi LeMar
  • Mail Scamming: IDOC’s Own Data Exposes how Politicians and Guard Unions are Lying about Drugs in the Mail 

Download the FOIA request data (zip): 2023-2024 IDOC Drug Confiscations, 2024 Drug Exposures

Prison censorship is a front in the fascist american project. For the millions buried by the largest prison system on the planet, we know that access to communication and reading materials remain one of the only ways people behind bars can maintain humanity. Prison is censorship, a system of walls and borders that criminalizes people and ideas: a system we are determined to break by building bridges of solidarity – through sharing books and publishing zines.

Coinciding with the fascistic expansion of police and cop city projects, the prison censorship machine has rapidly marched on, consuming the majority of local, state and federal facilities. Played-out “war on drugs” fear mongering is why most people behind bars no longer receive physical mail: books are banned under cover of “content-neutral” and “publisher-only” restrictions, and private monopolies experiment with dystopian tablet technologies to monitor and profit from all communications.

Illinois has been one of the last holdouts until last year when prison copagandists began another all-too-familiar disinformation campaign. Guards are staging drug exposure hospitalization stunts to take away physical mail – incidents easily disproved as impossible by medical experts and according to IDOC’s own confiscation and exposure data. Unlike other states, this battle is being waged at capitol: multiple bills for and against mail scanning are being debated in Springfield. IDOC has not made any announcements yet, but has signed a new phone/email/tablet contract with ICSolutions: Illinois could fall to all-digital mail unless we organize now to stop it.

One voice that has not been heard from are those behind bars who are bearing the brunt of their draconian machinations. We made sure to share their plans to thousands of our incarcerated correspondents throughout IDOC, asking for comments and strategies on how to fight back and providing information on the bills and the addresses to write congress. Throughout these pages you’ll hear directly how mail censorship affects life behind bars: and special appreciations to the brave souls writing us, refusing to be silenced.

We are determined to stop mail scanning and book bans in Illinois: we share these tools and updates, seeking comrades to help break down the panopticon through underground networks of paper and print. Free the books, free the mail, free the people – free them all!

Reposted from Midwest Books to Prisoners

Posted in REPORTSTagged prisons, solidarity

Post navigation

Casey Support Committee UPDATE 6/6/25: Retaliation and Loss of Privileges
A Guide to ICE Infrastructure in Chicago

Recent Posts

  • The 4rth issue of the insurrectionary/nihilist anarchist newspaper “Blessed Is The Flame” has been published09/17/2025
    **Download link (PDF):** http://blessed-is-the-flame.espivblogs.net/files/2025/09/ENG-Blessed-Is-The-Flame-Issue-4.pdf In early September, the 4th issue of the international anarcho-nihilist/insurrectionary newspaper “Blessed Is The Flame” has been published. As always, along whith the counter-information of July and August, we have also collected texts on counter-surveillance, counter-repression and direct action. The newspaper is available in both digital and printed form. If anyone… Read more: The 4rth issue of the insurrectionary/nihilist anarchist newspaper “Blessed Is The Flame” has been published
  • ICE Job Fair Disruption09/17/2025
    To fulfill Trump’s absurd goal of deporting the entire undocumented population, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is finding new hires to join Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) all across the country. These recruitment opportunities provide an opening for attack. On August 7th, 2025 in Chicago, a group of 10 protesters disrupted a job fair… Read more: ICE Job Fair Disruption
  • Casey Goonan on hunger strike in solidarity with T. Hoxha08/28/2025
    CALL TO ACTION Email the Prison Governor Ralph.Lubkowski [at] sodexogov.co.uk Call HMP Peterborough at 0173-217500 between 8am-5pm UK time, demanding the following: -That the prison release ALL of T Hoxha’s mail -That the electrolyte sachets requested by T are provided, as per the prison’s duty of care. T and Casey’s lives are on the line!!!… Read more: Casey Goonan on hunger strike in solidarity with T. Hoxha
  • A Guide to ICE Infrastructure in Chicago06/20/2025
    From @generalstrikeillinois on Instagram
  • Midwest Prison Censorship Update 2025: Exposing the IDOC Mail Scanning Scam06/09/2025
    View the zine: Screen PDF – Printable PDF View the Prison Censorship Survey results Individual articles: Download the FOIA request data (zip): 2023-2024 IDOC Drug Confiscations, 2024 Drug Exposures Prison censorship is a front in the fascist american project. For the millions buried by the largest prison system on the planet, we know that access… Read more: Midwest Prison Censorship Update 2025: Exposing the IDOC Mail Scanning Scam

Archives

  • September 2025
  • August 2025
  • June 2025
  • April 2025
  • March 2025
  • January 2025
  • December 2024
  • November 2024
  • October 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • July 2024
  • June 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • February 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023

Tags

anarchism (1) anarchy (3) animal rights (2) Announcement (4) art (2) assembly (2) autonomous action (7) BOA (1) chinga la migra (2) commemoration (1) communique (1) cop city (5) CPD (1) CTA (1) DNC (5) elbit (1) encampments (6) graffiti (1) ICE (2) indigenous (1) insurrection (1) internationalism (6) letter writing (1) may day (3) MCC (1) Mountain Valley Pipeline (1) myanmar (1) newroz (1) nhilism (1) noise demo (2) occupation (3) Palestine (26) phone zap (2) police (1) prisons (23) publications (1) repression (1) security (2) skillshare (1) solidarity (25) submission (1) surveillance (1) vigil (1) Weelaunee Defense Society (1) zines (2)

Additional Resources

Chicago Area

Elsewhere

  • South Chicago ABC
  • Chicago ABC
  • Midwest Books to Prisoners
  • PO Box Collective
  • Jinx Press
  • Blood Fruit Library
  • Solidarity Cinema
  • Rogers Park Food Not Bombs
  • Pushing Envelopes Chicago
  • The Jungle Events Calendar
  • Haymaker Gym
  • South Side Chicago Anti-Racist Action
  • Chicago Anarchist Skillshare
  • Unsalted
  • Puget Sound Anarchists
  • Philly Anti-Capitalist
  • Montreal Counter Info
  • Scenes From The Atlanta Forest
  • Bash Back! News
  • Rose City Counter-Info
  • True Leap Press
  • Black Ink
  • Anarchist News
  • It's Going Down
Proudly powered by WordPress | Theme: micro, developed by DevriX.