Prison newspaper suspended after outbreak

Prison newspaper suspended after outbreak

• Publication will be allowed to resume once new location is found, authorities say

The escape of seven inmates from a Texas prison prompted officials on Feb. 23 to suspend publication of a prison newspaper amidst heightened security concerns.

The Echo, a prison-run monthly newspaper staffed by inmates, temporarily ceased operations after the Texas Department of Criminal Justice concluded that the office where the inmates work, located in the Walls Unit in Huntsville, did not have sufficient security.

A spokesperson for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice told The Houston Chronicle that publication of the prisoners’ newspaper will resume, but will move to a more secure office. The four inmates who work at the paper will be placed in other jobs during the suspension.

Prison officials have turned their attention to security at all prisons in the state since the escape of seven inmates from the Connally Unit near San Antonio in December.

The Echo, a censored newspaper with a circulation of 130,000, has been in publication for more than 70 years and includes contributions from prisoners statewide.

— ML

© 2001 The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press

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