How to Send Books and Magazines to an Inmate in Colorado

How to Send Books and Magazines to an Inmate in Colorado

A good book is one of the most valuable things you can put in the hands of someone you love inside a Colorado prison. It fills the long, empty hours, it keeps the mind working, and it is a piece of the outside world they get to hold. Colorado has clear, workable rules for sending in reading material, and the state is unusually specific about how to do it, even naming which sources count. Get the rules right once and you can keep good books flowing.

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.

The One Rule That Trips Up Every Family

Start here. In Colorado you cannot buy a book yourself and put it in the mail. The Department of Corrections requires that books, calendars, and other publications be sent directly to your person from an approved source of supply, which it defines as a retailer or publisher with a business address you can verify online or in a commercial directory. The shipper also has to include a valid business return address. 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 straight from a verifiable seller. Colorado is clearer than most states about what counts, which actually makes your job easier.

Amazon Works in Colorado, With One Catch

Here is something Colorado does that most states do not: it tells you straight out that Amazon is acceptable. The Department of Corrections says plainly that Amazon meets its criteria for an approved source of supply. The catch is the same one that comes up everywhere, and Colorado names it too: some Amazon marketplace retailers do not meet the criteria. So order a copy that is sold and shipped by Amazon itself, not by a third-party marketplace seller. On the listing, look for "Ships from Amazon" and "Sold by Amazon."

Address the order to your person with their full name and DOC number, then the facility, which you can confirm on Colorado's inmate locator. Send the book by itself, with no card or note tucked inside, and send your letters separately.

New Only, and Nothing During Intake

Two Colorado rules catch families off guard, so plan around them. First, every publication must be new. Colorado does not accept used publications under any circumstances, so a secondhand paperback, however good its condition, will be refused. Order new. Second, a person who is still in intake, the assessment and classification period right after arriving in the system, cannot receive books or calendars at all. So if your person was just taken into state custody, hold off until they clear intake and reach their assigned facility, then start sending. Sending during intake just produces a rejected package.

Paperback and Format

Stick to new paperbacks. Hardcover books raise security concerns because a hard cover can conceal contraband, and spiral bindings are generally refused for the same reason, so paperback is the safe default. Colorado does allow calendars from an approved source, which is a nice thing to remember around the new year. As always, send the publication alone, with nothing tucked inside.

The Limit Is Your Person's Property Space

Colorado does not cap how often you can order, but your person can only keep so much. The state limits personal property to roughly three cubic feet, and publications count toward that, and Colorado's publication policy is openly aimed at keeping the volume of certain materials down to reduce bartering. In practice that means there is a ceiling on how many books and magazines your person can hold at once. The smart move is to send a steady stream of a few titles rather than a big box that pushes them over their limit and forces them to give books up. When in doubt about the current cap, ask the facility.

Magazines and Newspapers

Magazines and newspapers follow the same rule as books: they must come directly from the publisher or an approved source, which for periodicals means a subscription in your person's name shipped to the facility. Each issue then arrives directly from the publisher and is reviewed on arrival.

A subscription is one of the kindest things you can set up, arriving on its own schedule and giving your person something to look forward to. Stick to mainstream titles, since sexually explicit content will be rejected.

What Colorado Rejects

Colorado reviews incoming publications under its publications regulation, balancing your person's right to read against the security of the facility and a workplace free of harassment. Material that is sexually explicit or contains nudity, that threatens security, that promotes violence or hate, or that staff otherwise determine to be contraband can be refused, and a facility publication review committee handles closer calls. Maps and similar security-sensitive content also draw scrutiny.

One Colorado-specific wrinkle worth knowing: at certain facilities flagged for contraband coming in through the mail, the state photocopies incoming greeting cards, postcards, and drawings and gives your person the copy while disposing of the original. That rule is aimed at personal mail rather than books, but it tells you how seriously Colorado treats mailed contraband, which is why the source rules for books are enforced strictly.

Tablets and E-Books

Colorado uses Securus for tablets and electronic messaging, so your person likely has a tablet, and Securus eMessaging lets you send one-way electronic notes that land on it. Tablets may also carry some e-books and media. As elsewhere, tablet catalogs are limited and can carry charges, so treat the tablet as a supplement and keep sending the specific paperbacks your person actually wants.

Free Books: Libraries and Book Programs

If money is tight, you still have options. Every facility has a library your person can request from. There are also nonprofit book programs that mail free books to incarcerated people, and because they ship from a verifiable organization rather than from an individual, they can meet Colorado's source rule, usually after your person writes to them with a request. These run on donations, so allow time. We keep current pointers to programs that serve Colorado on our Colorado reentry resources page.

Get It Right the First Time

Here is the whole thing in a breath. Books must ship directly from an approved source with a verifiable business address, never from you, and Colorado specifically allows Amazon as long as the copy is sold and shipped by Amazon, not a marketplace seller. Order new, never used, in paperback, and wait until your person is out of intake before sending. Address it with their name and DOC number, send nothing tucked inside, and pace your shipments to their property limit. Use InmateAid for magazine subscriptions, and lean on the library and book programs to keep the reading steady.

Get it right 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 a Colorado inmate myself?** No. Colorado requires books and publications to be sent directly from an approved source of supply, a retailer or publisher with a verifiable business address, with a business return address on the package. A book mailed by an individual will be refused.

**Does Amazon work for sending books to a Colorado prison?** Yes. The Colorado Department of Corrections specifically says Amazon meets its criteria for an approved source, but warns that some Amazon marketplace sellers do not. Order a copy that is sold and shipped by Amazon, and look for "Ships from Amazon" and "Sold by Amazon" on the listing.

**Can I send a used book?** No. Colorado does not accept used publications under any circumstances. Every book must be new.

**Why was my book rejected when my person just got there?** People in intake cannot receive books or calendars while they are still in the assessment and classification period. Wait until your person clears intake and reaches their assigned facility, then begin sending.

**Does it have to be paperback?** Paperback is the safe choice. Hardcovers raise security concerns and spiral bindings are generally refused. Colorado also allows calendars from an approved source.

**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. InmateAid can set this up for you. Stick to mainstream titles, since sexually explicit content is rejected.

**How many books can my person have?** Colorado does not limit how often you order, but personal property is capped at roughly three cubic feet, and publications count toward it, with the state actively limiting volume to reduce bartering. Send a few titles at a time rather than overwhelming their limited space, and confirm the current cap with the facility.

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