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Bureau of Prisons apologizes for blocking delivery of book to Reality Winner, sent via Amazon
The Federal Bureau of Prisons has issued an apology for rejecting attempted delivery of a book to Reality Winner, sent via Amazon. In an emailed statement today, a BOP spokesperson told me:
“Using the information provided, we consulted our subject matter experts. It appears Amazon is considered a bookstore and, barring any additional information, the rejection of the book may have been in error.
“We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.”
On April 25th, I sent a softcover copy of The Tao of Pug (Penguin / Skyhorse), a book that I authored, via Amazon, to Reality Winner, who is an inmate in federal prison. She is currently serving a five-year sentence for leaking a document showing Russian interference in U.S. elections while she was working as an NSA contractor.
Delivery of the book sent to Winner via Amazon was rejected by the prison and returned to Amazon. In its initial statement, a spokesperson for the BOP incorrectly told me in an email: “Amazon is not considered a bookstore or a publishing company, therefore the Amazon package was returned to sender.” Amazon currently operates 24 brick-and-mortar bookstores across the United States.
