Learning to code can be an incredibly lucrative skill in today’s technical age, but is it a potential “threat to order and security?”

Ohio and Michigan prisons ban books that aim to teach computer programming skills, according to MuckRock, a non-profit site aimed at sharing public information via the Freedom of Information Act. The organization recently obtained a list of banned books in state prisons.

“Their decisions to ban educational texts related to programming, alongside erotica and literature published by neo-nazi groups, are in stark contrast with practices in other states and countries, where prisons include coding in educational programs,” writes MuckRock.

Ohio’s list of banned books contained titles like “Beginning Linux Programming 4th Edition,” “The Linux Professional Institute Certification Guide,” and “Operating Systems Demystified.” The state gave no explanation as to why the books were banned.

Ohio prisons ban books on learning @Linux alongside erotica and neo-Nazi literature https://t.co/kYNt6Qfb6E pic.twitter.com/9sUeg204Zw

— MuckRock (@MuckRock) August 18, 2017

In Michigan, prisoners were specifically banned from reading books the Department of Corrections believes “contains information about computer programs and applications.” Texts like “Windows 98 6 in 1” and “Windows Game Programming for Dummies” were banned because they represent a “threat to the order and security of the institution.”

According to MuckRock, 15 books are banned for including information about computer programming, including guides to web design and a book aimed at teaching the elderly how to use computers.

Stark Contrast to Silicon Valley

The decision to ban these kinds of books is a stark contrast from rehabilitation efforts in San Quentin, California. At the San Quentin State Prison, Chris Redlitz of The Last Mile helps to prepare inmates for successful reentry into society through web education and career training opportunities. In 2014, he launched Code.7370 San Quentin, the first computer programming curriculum in a U.S. prison.

Inmates in the program help build apps and other software for startups and established companies like Airbnb. Because they can’t use the internet, the development shop’s coders work on a closed network. The men in the program make $16.77 an hour.

In April, CNBC reported that none of the prisoners who had gone through the program had returned to prison. That is likely due to the fact that the program is exceptionally beneficial to inmates, because it provides prisoners with an entrepreneurial skillset that enables them to start a career for themselves upon release, rather than relying on limited job opportunities available to felons.

The Code.7370 curriculum has since expanded to five more prisons in California, including two women’s prisons, and Redlitz has hopes to create a national program within the next five years.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

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Last week, a Brazilian man went missing. And as pictures and details from his home have surfaced, it has become clear that this is no ordinary case. Investigators found the walls in Bruno Borges’s apartment covered in code that has been described as “Da Vinci Code”-style writing and satanic signs. Some of the passages are taken from the Bible and there are also quotes from the actual Leonardo da Vinci. And to top it all off, Borges was apparently obsessed with aliens.

The 24-year-old psychology student disappeared from his family home in Rio Branco in Brazil on March 27. A video that was posted by Brazilian news outlet Globo shows that most of the furniture has been removed, and the walls of his large bedroom are covered in writing. There is also a painted portrait of Borges with an alien and a statue of the Italian 16th-century philosopher Giordano Bruno.

Bruno was one of the first documented historical figures to believe that extraterrestrial life exists on other planets. Even though he was a Christian, he thought it was completely possible that there are more planets like ours with aliens that worship their own alien versions of Jesus. Bruno published his theory in a 1584 book and he was burned at the stake in 1600.

The case of Bruno Borges and the odd room he left behind is riveting to me!!https://t.co/8FRte5jqia

— Dylan Jobe (@DylanJobe) April 5, 2017

According to his family, he was working on 14 books, which he planned to publish. He claimed he was completing the work that Giordano Bruno had begun over 500 years ago. His family reports that he had asked them for money, but wouldn’t tell them much about the books, just that they would “change humanity.” His sister said that he recently locked himself in his bedroom for a month when their parents were out of town.

A Brazilian computer expert tried to decode some of the writings, and one part said, “It is easy to accept what you have been taught since childhood and what is wrong. It is difficult, as an adult to understand that you were wrongly taught what you suspected was correct since you were a child.”

While Borges likely suffered from some sort of mental illness, people on social media had lots of crazy theories about what happened. Some thought aliens had come to collect him. Other theorized that Borges is a reincarnation of Bruno, hellbent on finishing the work he began.

Incrível a semelhança entre Giordano BRUNO(estátua) e Bruno Borges. pic.twitter.com/YSXX060eSY

— Natan Peres (@peresnatan) March 29, 2017

Some thought Dan Brown might have something to do with this.

@AuthorDanBrown Do you know about the disappearance of Bruno Borges? It’s very similar to the type of books you wrote

— maris (@boobiased) April 4, 2017

And some were just amazed that this story is real.

Most insane shit ever

Brazilian kid goes missing. In his room they find books written in code, a massive statue. Also wrote on walls pic.twitter.com/MYeRduP1oB

— Izzy Nobre (@MrNobre) April 4, 2017

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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