Books and magazines are among the most valuable items an incarcerated person can receive. They provide an escape from the monotony of institutional life, keep the mind active, and for many inmates represent the primary source of education and information about the outside world. But facility rules about how books and magazines can be sent are strict, and getting it wrong means the item gets rejected. This section covers the rules for sending books and magazines to incarcerated loved ones, why items must typically come directly from approved publishers or retailers rather than from home, what types of publications are restricted and why, how InmateAid's magazine subscription service works and why it is one of the most reliable ways to keep a loved one supplied with reading material, and what genres and titles tend to be most popular inside. The guidance here makes sure every book and magazine you send actually arrives. See also our sections on Inmate Care Packages, Send Inmate Mail, and Prison Jobs.
Related InmateAid Services
Subject: Send books and magazines
Yes, mail continues to reach inmates in the SHU at federal facilities including Thomson USP. Federal SHU inmates receive mail five days a week, which means a magazine subscription will get through even during a period of segregation.
The SHU strips away most privileges, phone access is severely limited, visits may be suspended, and movement is essentially nonexistent. But mail keeps coming, and that makes it one of the most valuable lifelines available to someone in that situation. A magazine subscription...
Read moreSubject: Send books and magazines
The profile in your InmateAid account needs to be updated to reflect the new facility before any orders go out. Sending a magazine to the old location a month after a transfer means it will either be returned or sit undelivered, so getting the address corrected first is essential.
Log into your InmateAid account and locate your inmate's profile. There should be an option to edit the facility information. Update it to the correct current facility with the accurate mailing address...
Read moreSubject: Send books and magazines
Yes, magazine subscriptions follow the inmate regardless of where they are transferred within the system. You do not need to cancel and reorder or take any action when a transfer happens. The subscription stays active and issues continue to be delivered to whatever facility your inmate is currently housed at.
This is one of the advantages of ordering through a service like InmateAid rather than directly through a publisher. The address on file updates as your inmate moves through the system,...
Read moreSubject: Send books and magazines
Sending books to an inmate through Amazon is one of the more straightforward ways to get reading material into a facility, but it only works if you follow the facility's specific rules to the letter. Here is how to do it.
Go to Amazon and find the book you want to send. At checkout, instead of shipping to your own address, enter the facility's address as the delivery address. The inmate's full legal name and ID number should appear in the...
Read moreSubject: Send books and magazines
the usual time for magazine subscriptions to get the first issue delivered is about 8-12 weeks depending on the publisher
Subject: Send books and magazines
Yes, magazine subscriptions can follow an inmate through a transfer, but it does not happen automatically. The publisher needs to be notified of the new address before they can redirect future issues.
If you ordered the subscription through InmateAid, just send an email to aid@inmateaid.com with the updated facility information and InmateAid will handle the notification to the publisher directly. Publishers are generally good about making sure issues get delivered even when there has been a move, and any issues that...
Read moreSubject: Send books and magazines
paperback only, no hardback
Subject: Send books and magazines
Anything that will keep their mind occupied for long stretches of time is the best thing you can do for an inmate. You probably have an idea of your inmate's interests and on the magazine page, there is a search function that will narrow down the selection process. Some of the most popular, best sellers include the PUZZLES, WORD FINDERS and every possible COMIC BOOK available.
Subject: Send books and magazines
This is why Inmateaid was founded, for Moms and Dads to have a simple and reliable way to send their inmate things to occupy their minds and make the time go by faster. Reading is the "great escape" for an inmate and to that end, IA offers a wide range of magazine titles and a long-standing partnership with Amazon books. You can also cheer them up with greeting cards, postcards, family photos, selfies and holiday cheer. Click any of the...
Read moreSubject: Send books and magazines
The subscription does not go to waste. If your inmate is released before the subscription period ends, the remaining issues simply follow them to their new address on the outside.
All you need to do is email aid@inmateaid.com with the updated address once he is home or has a confirmed address where he will be living. InmateAid will update the delivery address with the publisher and the remaining issues will be rerouted accordingly. He will not miss a single issue.
The same...
Read moreSubject: Send books and magazines
Yes. Tattoo Magazine can be sent to inmates at Oregon State Correctional Institution. You can order it through Amazon and ship it directly to the facility, or you can send it through InmateAid as we work with the same publisher.
A couple of things to keep in mind when ordering any magazine subscription for an inmate. The subscription must ship directly from the publisher or an approved retailer. Magazines sent from a personal address will be rejected at the mail room....
Read moreSubject: Send books and magazines
n state and federal prisons there is generally no set limit on how many books an inmate can receive or possess at one time, provided the books come through an approved channel such as Amazon or a recognized publisher. Books are considered educational and rehabilitative, and prison systems typically encourage reading rather than restricting it.
The practical limiting factor in a prison setting is storage space. An inmate's personal property is confined to what fits in their locker or designated storage...
Read moreSubject: Send books and magazines
Every prison and jail has a commissary. It is the facility's internal store where inmates can purchase food, hygiene items, clothing basics, and other approved products using funds in their trust account. Think of it as a small convenience store with a limited and often overpriced selection, but one that makes a meaningful difference in daily quality of life. Keeping money on your person's books so they can shop the commissary is one of the most practical ways to support...
Read moreSubject: Send books and magazines
Amazon works well for books but magazines are more complicated, and the distinction matters before you spend money on something that gets turned away at the mailroom.
For books, Amazon is the gold standard. Most facilities require books to come directly from a recognized retailer and Amazon fills that requirement reliably. Order it, ship it directly to the facility with your inmate's name and ID number, and it almost always gets through.
For magazines, Amazon can work but it is not as...
Read moreSubject: Send books and magazines
The magazine subscription takes 8 weeks at least to get the first issue rolling. Our policy is that you can change the address as many times as necessary. We know inmates get moved all the time and this concession seems to work well for all parties.
