How to Send Books and Magazines to an Inmate in Alaska

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How to Send Books and Magazines to an Inmate in Alaska

A good book is one of the most valuable things you can put in the hands of someone you love inside an Alaska prison. It fills the long, dark hours, it keeps the mind working, and it is a piece of the outside world they get to hold. But you cannot just grab a paperback off your shelf and mail it in. The Alaska Department of Corrections has clear rules about where publications come from and what is allowed, and Alaska has one step that surprises families from other states.

I am going to walk you through it the way someone who has done time would explain it to you, plainly and without the runaround. Learn the rules once and you can keep good reading material flowing to your person for as long as they are in there.

The One Rule That Trips Up Every Family

Start here, because this is the mistake that wastes the most money: in Alaska you cannot buy a book yourself and put it in the mail. Under the Department of Corrections mail policy, all publications, meaning books, magazines, and newspapers, must be ordered and received directly from an approved vendor or publisher. Family or friends may order a publication for a prisoner, but it has to ship straight from that publisher or seller to the institution. A package that looks like it came from a person's home gets refused.

The reason is contraband. A mailroom cannot tell a clean book from one that has been tampered with, so the system only trusts shipments that come straight from a recognized seller in the original condition the publisher made them. It feels insulting when your intentions are good. It is still the rule, and the way to beat it is to order correctly from a source the prison accepts, which I will show you.

The Alaska Step Other States Do Not Have

Here is the part that catches out-of-state families off guard, so do this before you spend a dime. Alaska institutions run on the superintendent's standing procedures, and several of them require that an order be authorized for receipt before it is placed. If your person does not get the order approved ahead of time, the item can be returned to sender, and if staff had to open the package to check it, you may even owe the return postage.

So the smart move in Alaska is to coordinate with your person first. Have them confirm with their unit or the mailroom that the book or magazine you want to send is allowed and that any pre-approval their facility requires is handled. This one phone call or message between you and your person, before you order, prevents the most common and most frustrating rejection in the Alaska system. It is a small extra step, and it is worth it.

Alaska Still Delivers Real Mail, and Runs One System

Two things that make Alaska different from a lot of states. First, Alaska runs a unified system, which means the Department of Corrections operates both the jails and the prisons, often pretrial and sentenced people in the same complex. The upshot for you is that the same statewide mail policy generally applies wherever your person is held, though the exact procedures still vary by institution.

Second, unlike the growing number of states that now scan every letter into a digital image, Alaska still opens, inspects, and delivers your actual mail. Your letters and cards reach your person on paper. Books and magazines, though, are not regular mail, so they still have to come through the publisher or approved vendor and go to the institution. Letters from you, books from the seller. Keep that distinction straight.

One honest note about Alaska: it is vast and remote, and some facilities are a long way from anywhere. Shipping can take longer than you expect, so order early and be patient if a book takes a while to arrive.

Where to Order So It Actually Arrives

Because a book has to ship directly from a seller, the simplest path for most families is a major online bookseller that ships the book itself. Amazon works for Alaska, with one detail that matters: choose a copy that is sold and shipped by Amazon, not by a third-party marketplace seller. On the listing, look for "Ships from Amazon" and "Sold by Amazon." A marketplace seller can look the same but ships like a private package, which is what the mailroom turns away.

A few things keep the package from bouncing. Choose paperback, since Alaska facilities generally accept softcover and hardcovers are often refused unless you have confirmed otherwise. Pick new condition, unaltered, in the original form the publisher sells it, with no stickers, labels, or laminated add-ons. Address it with your person's full legal name as it appears in Department of Corrections records, no nicknames, plus their offender number, then the facility name and address, which you can confirm on the Alaska inmate search. Send only the publication itself, with no card or note tucked inside, since homemade items and extras are not allowed in a publication package. And remember the pre-approval step from above.

Magazines and Newspapers

Magazines and newspapers follow the same rule as books. They must come directly from the publisher or an approved seller, which for periodicals usually means setting up a subscription in your person's name shipped to the facility, rather than mailing copies yourself. Each issue then ships straight from the publisher, exactly as the rules require, and each issue is reviewed on its own when it arrives.

A subscription is one of the kindest things you can set up, because it arrives on its own schedule and gives your person something to look forward to without you doing anything after the first order. Stick to mainstream titles, because anything with nudity or sexual content will be rejected, and a rejected issue is a wasted one.

What Alaska Rejects

Before you spend money, know what gets turned away. Under the mail policy, Alaska rejects publications that show frontal nudity, that are obscene, that incite violence, theft, or destruction of property, that show martial arts techniques, that would aid an escape, or that describe how to brew alcohol or manufacture drugs, weapons, or explosives. Each book, magazine, and newspaper is reviewed on an issue-by-issue basis, so a title that got through once is not automatically cleared the next time.

When a publication is rejected, your person receives written notice, and there is a process to challenge it, but it is slow, and most families simply choose a different title. If your person has asked for a specific book, a quick check against these content rules before ordering saves money and disappointment. Alaska has also been updating its mail regulations, so when in doubt, confirm the current rule with the facility.

Tablets and E-Books

Where tablets are available in Alaska facilities, they may offer some e-books and other media, which can be a reasonable supplement. Be aware, though, that prison tablet catalogs tend to be limited and lean on older titles, and there can be charges to read. So use the tablet for what is easy and cheap on it, and keep ordering the specific paperbacks your person actually wants for everything else.

Free Books: Libraries and Book Programs

If money is tight, you still have options. Institutions have libraries your person can request from, though selection and wait times vary. There are also nonprofit programs around the country that mail free books to incarcerated people, usually after the incarcerated person writes to them with a request, shipping a compliant package directly to the facility. Because Alaska is remote, delivery from these programs can be slow, but for a person with no funds they are a real source of reading material. We keep current pointers to programs that serve Alaska on our Alaska reentry resources page.

Get It Right the First Time

Here is the whole thing in a breath. Books and magazines must ship directly from a publisher or approved vendor, never from you. Before you order, coordinate with your person so any pre-approval their facility requires is handled, because that is the step that trips up out-of-state families. Order paperback, new, unaltered, sold and shipped by the bookseller, with your person's full legal name and offender number on it and nothing tucked inside. Send your letters separately, on paper, the way Alaska still delivers them. Check a title against Alaska's content rules if you have any doubt. And lean on subscriptions, the library, and free book programs to keep the reading steady.

Get it right once and you become the person who reliably gets good books to someone who needs them. On the inside, that means more than you can know from out here.

FAQ

**Can I mail a book to an inmate in Alaska myself?** No. Alaska requires all publications, including books, magazines, and newspapers, to be ordered and received directly from an approved vendor or publisher, shipped straight to the facility. A package that appears to come from an individual will be refused.

**What is the pre-approval step in Alaska?** Many Alaska facilities require that an order be authorized for receipt before it is placed, under the superintendent's procedures. If it is not pre-approved, the item can be returned to sender, and you may owe return postage. Coordinate with your person before ordering so any required approval is handled.

**Does Amazon work for sending books to an Alaska prison?** Yes, if you choose a copy that is sold and shipped by Amazon rather than a third-party marketplace seller, in paperback and new condition. Look for "Ships from Amazon" and "Sold by Amazon" on the product page before ordering.

**Does Alaska scan letters like some other states?** No. Unlike states that digitize incoming mail, Alaska still opens, inspects, and delivers your actual letters on paper. Books and magazines are separate and must still come from the publisher or approved vendor to the facility.

**Does it have to be paperback?** Paperback is the safe choice. Hardcovers are often refused unless you have confirmed the facility accepts them. Books must be new and unaltered, in the original condition the publisher sells them, with no stickers, labels, laminate, or anything added.

**How do I send a magazine?** Set up a subscription in your person's name shipped to the facility so each issue comes directly from the publisher, which is what the rules require. Each issue is reviewed on arrival, and titles with nudity or sexual content will be rejected.

**What gets a book rejected in Alaska?** Frontal nudity, obscene content, material that incites violence or destruction, martial arts techniques, anything that would aid an escape, and instructions for brewing alcohol or making drugs, weapons, or explosives. Each issue is reviewed individually, and your person gets written notice of a rejection.

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