ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —

A policy preventing inmates at Bernalillo County's Metropolitan Detention Center from having books and all other paper possessions. is being seen by critics as excessive punishment.

The new rule that went into effect in July is meant to stop drugs and other contraband from getting into the jail, so inmates now have tablets with which they can read letters, look at photos, and, yes, read books, too.

The county Detention Facility Advisory Board has heard the complaints and wants to give the no-books rule a closer look. At their meeting on Nov. 19, they voted in favor of an independent audit of the policy.

Whether the policy has made the jail safer, and how much it costs, are questions that might be answered by an impartial examination.

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