Section 525.230  Procedure for Assessment of Publications

a)         Mailroom staff shall conduct an assessment of publications received by a facility.  When necessary, the Assistant Warden of Programs, the Education Facility Administrator, the Chaplain, or Librarian shall provide further evaluation prior to action taken.

b)         Staff members assessing publications that are listed as approved on the Statewide Publications Determination List and are free of contraband shall proceed as follows:

1)         A publication shall be delivered to an individual in custody promptly when the publication is received from a publisher;

2)         A publication received for a religious program shall be delivered to the staff responsible for the religious program;

3)         A publication received for an educational, vocational, or other approved program shall be delivered to the staff responsible for the educational, vocational, or other approved program, or to the individual in custody if the program is a correspondence course or other approved program that is not run by on-site Department staff; or

4)         A publication received for the facility library shall be entered into circulation.

c)         Staff members assessing publications shall forward a publication to a Facility Publication Review Officer for review under 525.233 if the publication:

1)         Does not appear on the Statewide Publications Determinations List;

2)         Is listed on the Statewide Publications Determinations List as disapproved or approved conditionally; or

3)         Violates the standards in Section 525.220.

(Source:  Amended at 50 Ill. Reg. 1047, effective January 9, 2026)