ALBANY, N.Y. -- A new Department of Corrections pilot program is changing how inmates receive care packages from the outside.

"It should shock your sense of decency that human beings, no matter what they have done, would be deprived of fresh fruits and fresh vegetables," said Sophia Heller, acting managing attorney at the Prisoners' Legal Services of New York.

In the past, families could buy, make and package items themselves -- as long as they weren't prohibited items -- and mail them directly to the prison. The new policy only allows families to order from five pre-approved items and select from their catalog. This severely limits the items families can purchase, and leads to concerns about price gouging due to lack of competition. All items not from these state vendors are now considered contraband.

"The restrictions on our clients are so severe that it is hard to see the purpose and how these restrictions will help the security of the prison," Heller said.

Among the items raising eyes on the approved vendors list are lack of food options and reading materials. According to those who have access to the vendor list, the only reading materials allowed are 24 drawing and coloring books; 21 puzzle books; 13 how-to books, including guitar and chess; 14 bibles or religous material; five romance novels; and a limited selection of magazines. No other book is allowed to be sent into prison.

"I should say that we are in the process of verifying with DOCCS if this list is exhaustive. We would like to find out if there are means to obtain other materials or is this an outright ban on all literature," said Heller.

Advocates say the general public should have a vested interest in what happens inside of state prisons. According to US Statistics, 95 percent of people in prison will be released into the community at one point.

"They are coming back into the community, into possibly your community. One of the original goals of prisons was rehabilitation," said Heller.

Again, this is just a pilot program being tried at three different state prisons. Prisoners still have access to commissary items within the prison. This policy only relates to care packages being sent into the prison.

Spectrum News reached out to the Department of Corrections for a response and some clarification.

Here is a link to the full Department of Corrections Policy: http://www.doccs.ny.gov/Directives/4911A.pdf