“As a member of the Rehabilitation and Social Services Committee,” Sen. Cuccinelli said, “I am not just concerned with locking up criminals, but also with rehabilitating them whenever possible.” He continued, “Based on the facts in the Washington Post, it seems that prison officials may have made a mistake by banning this worthy program, which helps prisoners educate and rehabilitate themselves while serving their sentences. If elected Virginia’s next Attorney General, I will work with prison officials to revisit their decision so we can continue to work with the Quest Institute to keep the Books Behind Bars program in operation. I also promise that, if elected Attorney General, I will advocate for other similarly successful rehabilitation programs, such as the Prison Fellowship Ministry’s program, which is particularly convenient given that their headquarters are right here in Loudoun County, Virginia.”

According to The Washington Post, state prison officials have reversed themselves and the ban has been lifted.