The Supreme Court said yesterday that it would decide whether Pennsylvania violated the free-speech rights of violent and disruptive prisoners by banning photographs and most newspapers and magazines.

The appeal, filed by Pennsylvania Attorney General Tomas Corbett, says that the restriction on reading materials was simply a policy adopted to modify the behavior of difficult inmates, deter misconduct, and increase prison security. A federal judge recently upheld the policy as constitutional, but a Philadelphia-based appeals court disagreed and sent the case back for further proceedings.

The policy in question prohibits inmates from receiving newspapers or magazines, except for religious or legal publications. Inmates are allowed paperback books from the prison library, but are prohibited from having any photographs in their cells. The Supreme Court will most likely hear the case in March, and a decision is expected by the end of June.