Flicking through a magazine may be a way to while away time during the coronavirus crisis, but we can now reveal the top choices among prisoners on a different kind of lockdown.

Adequate access to books and magazines on the inside has been a topic of controversy in recent times, so we wanted to find out which magazine titles are topping the best-seller lists in Kent prisons.

Unsurprisingly men's health, sport and lifestyle are well represented among the most-requested reads in our county's jails, as revealed after KentOnline submitted a Freedom of Information request.

At HMP Maidstone, which holds foreign nationals convicted in the UK, inmates favour aspirational style bible GQ, known for its mix of fashion, culture and celebrity cover stars, while in Medway at Rochester Prison - a male young offenders institution - the preferred periodical is Men's Health which is packed full of tips for staying in shape.

Meanwhile at Cookham Wood, another young offender institution, the favoured fare is football monthly Four Four Two, which has been a leading magazine for fans of the beautiful game since it launched back in 1994

Over on the Isle of Sheppey, those serving their sentence at open prison Standford Hill are after motoring mag Top Gear, with its blend of fast cars and fun aimed at petrol heads everywhere.

But at nearby Swaleside, a Category B men's prison, things are motoring along in a slightly slower lane, as it is listings weekly TV Choice that tops the charts with inmates keen to know what's on the box each week.

Although it seems offenders at Kent jails have a selection of reading options to choose from, there are some titles which are strictly prohibited inside the walls.

The Prison Service's Public Protection Manual contains a detailed explanation of banned materials - including magazines, books, films and music - which relate to subjects such as race hate, terrorism and child sexual abuse. Banned titles include Crimes Without Victims, The Satanism Scare and The Betrayal of Youth.

However adult magazines displayed on the top shelf of reputable high street newsagents are allowed, following a court ruling in which judges argued that if a mainstream newsagent was prepared to stock a particular title then access for an inmate was reasonable.

Kent's prisoners are allowed to borrow magazines from the prison library, if they are available. If they want to order certain titles, they will pay for these from their own money, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) revealed.

KentOnline's FOI request also asked for which library book was the most popular, but this wasn't answered as the MoJ said prison libraries did not record this information.

Having enough access to quality reading material for those serving their sentences has long been a campaigning issue for the Howard League for Penal Reform, a national charity which fights for prisoner welfare and improvements to life inside.

The charity was at the forefront of the battle to overturn unlawful restrictions imposed by the then Secretary of State for Justice, Chris Grayling, on sending books to inmates.

But the victory for that campaign - which saw the ban scrapped by the High Court - has not stopped the Howard League from highlighting the ongoing challenge of supplying adequate reading material at a time when prison resources are increasingly stretched.

A report published by the charity last year cited an inspection of Maidstone prison, which found attendance at the library was restricted to a half-hour slot that interrupted the working day.

The library was not open to inmates during the evenings or at weekends, so there was little opportunity for them to use it either as a resource or for study.

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