How to Send Books and Magazines to an Inmate in Georgia

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Internal links: Georgia inmate search (Offender Query), send money, visitation, Staying Connected hub, Georgia reentry resources

How to Send Books and Magazines to an Inmate in Georgia

A good book is one of the most valuable things you can put in the hands of someone you love inside a Georgia 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. Georgia allows books from major sellers, including Amazon, but it has firm rules about format and how many your person can keep, so let me walk you through what actually works.

I am going to explain it the way someone who has done time would, plainly and without the runaround.

The One Rule That Trips Up Every Family

Start here. In Georgia you cannot buy a book yourself and put it in the mail. The Department of Corrections requires books, magazines, and newspapers to come directly from an approved publisher or vendor, shipped straight from that seller to the prison. 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 recognized seller. Georgia makes that workable, with a couple of firm limits I will cover.

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. Georgia treats Amazon as an approved source, so Amazon works here. Choose a copy that is sold and shipped by Amazon, not by a third-party marketplace seller, since a marketplace order ships like a private package and gets rejected. On the listing, look for "Ships from Amazon" and "Sold by Amazon."

Address it to your person with their full committed name and GDC ID number, then the facility, which you can confirm on Georgia's Offender Query. Send the book by itself, with no card or note tucked inside, and send your letters separately.

Paperback Only, No Hardcover

Georgia is strict about the physical book, stricter than many states, so get this right. Books must be new and paperback. Hardcover books are prohibited, and so are spiral-bound books, because a hard cover or a metal spiral can conceal contraband. Used books are not accepted either. There is no workaround like the cover-removal option some states allow, so if a title only exists in hardcover, you will need to find a paperback edition or skip it. New paperback is the only safe choice in Georgia.

The Eight-Book Limit

Here is the Georgia rule that surprises families: your person can keep only a limited number of publications at once. Under Georgia's rules, the combined number of books and magazines an incarcerated person may have is capped at eight total, not counting law books, and that ceiling ties into the personal property limits. So you cannot build them a big library in the cell. Plan around it: send the titles that matter most, and understand that once they hit eight, something has to go before another comes in. Spacing out a few good books over time works far better than shipping a box that pushes them over the limit and forces a rejection or a giveaway.

Magazines and Newspapers

Magazines and newspapers follow the same rule as books: they must come directly from the publisher, which for periodicals means a subscription in your person's name shipped to the facility. Remember that magazines count toward that eight-item cap alongside books, so a couple of active subscriptions will use up some of the allowance. Stick to mainstream titles, since anything with nudity or sexually explicit content is rejected, an adult magazine will not get through, though a tamer mainstream title generally will.

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.

What Georgia Rejects

Before you spend money, know what gets turned away. Georgia reviews every incoming publication and rejects material that describes methods of escape or includes facility blueprints, that explains how to brew alcohol or manufacture drugs, that encourages physical violence or group disruption, that instructs in committing crimes, or that is sexually explicit in a way that threatens security or discipline. Maps and content that incites violence or depicts illegal activity also draw rejection.

One thing Georgia does well: when a publication is found unacceptable, the facility must promptly tell your person in writing, with the decision, the reasons, and a reference to the specific objectionable material. That written notice is your road map if you want to appeal or simply choose a different title. If your person wants a specific book, a quick check against these content rules before ordering saves money.

If Your Person Is Still in a County Jail

This matters in Georgia more than in most states. Because of backlogs, people sentenced to state prison often sit in a county jail for weeks or months before they are transferred into a Georgia Department of Corrections facility. While they are in that county jail, the jail's own book rules apply, not the state's, and Georgia county jail rules vary a lot. Some counties allow only a few new paperbacks per package, some require a packing slip from an authorized retailer, and some specifically bar independent Amazon marketplace sellers. So if your person has not yet been transferred to a state prison, confirm the rules with that specific county jail before ordering, and switch to the state rules once they move.

Tablets and E-Books

Georgia uses tablets and kiosks for messaging and media, so your person may have access to some e-books and other content electronically. 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, within that eight-item limit.

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, shipping from a recognized organization rather than from an individual, 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 Georgia on our Georgia reentry resources page.

Get It Right the First Time

Here is the whole thing in a breath. Books and magazines must ship directly from an approved publisher or vendor, never from you, and Georgia treats Amazon as approved as long as the copy is sold and shipped by Amazon. Order new paperback only, since hardcover, spiral, and used are all out. Remember the cap of eight books and magazines combined, and pace your shipments so your person stays under it. If they are still in a county jail awaiting transfer, follow that county's rules instead. 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 Georgia inmate myself?** No. Georgia requires books, magazines, and newspapers to come directly from an approved publisher or vendor, shipped straight to the facility. A package that appears to come from an individual will be refused.

**Does Amazon work for sending books to a Georgia prison?** Yes. Georgia treats Amazon as an approved source. Choose a copy that is sold and shipped by Amazon, not a third-party marketplace seller, in new paperback condition. Look for "Ships from Amazon" and "Sold by Amazon" on the listing.

**Does it have to be paperback?** Yes. Georgia accepts new paperback books only. Hardcover and spiral-bound books are prohibited, and used books are not accepted. If a title is hardcover only, find a paperback edition.

**How many books can my person have?** Georgia limits the combined number of books and magazines to eight total, not counting law books, tied to the personal property rules. Send the titles that matter most and pace your shipments, since once they reach eight, something has to go before another comes in.

**How do I send a magazine?** Set up a subscription in your person's name shipped directly from the publisher to the facility. InmateAid can set this up for you. Remember magazines count toward the eight-item limit, and adult or sexually explicit titles are rejected.

**What gets a book rejected in Georgia?** Escape methods or facility blueprints, instructions for alcohol, drugs, or crime, content encouraging violence or group disruption, sexually explicit material, and maps. When a publication is rejected, the facility must notify your person in writing with the specific reasons.

**My person is still in a county jail. Do the state rules apply?** No. While your person is in a county jail awaiting transfer, that jail's rules apply, and Georgia county rules vary widely, some limiting paperbacks per package, requiring a packing slip, or barring Amazon marketplace sellers. Confirm with the county jail, then switch to the state rules once your person is transferred.

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