Schema: Article + FAQPage
Internal links: Indiana inmate search, send money, visitation, Staying Connected hub, Indiana reentry resources
*** AFFILIATE NOTE - READ BEFORE PUBLISH ***
NOTE: Filtered out a stray Illinois IDOC result and Boone County (county jail) specifics; used official Indiana IDOC 02-01-103 + Mail and Packages page.
How to Send Books and Magazines to an Inmate in Indiana
A good book is one of the most valuable things you can put in the hands of someone you love inside an Indiana 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. Indiana has one rule that catches more families off guard than any other, and it has to do with how your order ships, not what is in the book. Let me walk you through it so your package does not get bounced.
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 Indiana you cannot buy a book yourself and put it in the mail. Under the Department of Correction's correspondence policy, books and publications must be sent directly from a publisher or an approved bookstore, not from an individual. A package that looks like it came from a person's home gets returned.
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. But Indiana adds a twist that most states do not, and it is the single most important thing on this page.
The Indiana Trap: No Third-Party Fulfillment
Here is the rule that bounces more Indiana orders than any content issue. Indiana's policy says that an incarcerated person may not receive packages from third-party fulfillment services, and that any item arriving with a return label belonging to a third-party fulfillment service will be rejected and returned to the sender. That sounds technical, but it has a very practical effect, and it is exactly the trap that catches Amazon orders.
When you order a book online and a marketplace seller ships it, or when an order is filled through a third-party fulfillment warehouse, the package often arrives with a fulfillment service's return label rather than a recognizable publisher or bookstore. Indiana rejects those on sight. So the surest way to get a book into an Indiana prison is to order from the publisher directly, or from an established bookstore that ships under its own name and return label.
If you use Amazon, you have to be careful: choose a copy that is sold and shipped by Amazon itself, not by a third-party marketplace seller, and understand that even then, an order showing a third-party fulfillment return label can be refused. Look for "Ships from Amazon" and "Sold by Amazon," and when in doubt, use a publisher or a dedicated bookstore instead.
Whatever route you choose, address it to your person with their full committed name and DOC number, then the facility, which you can confirm on Indiana's inmate search. Send the book by itself, with nothing tucked inside, and send your letters separately.
Used Books Are Allowed, If They Are Clean
Here is a rule that works in your favor. Indiana allows used books, not just new ones, which makes reading more affordable than in states that demand new-only. There is a condition: a used book is inspected when it arrives, and if it contains writing, highlighting, pictures, or any other markings or alterations, it is rejected and returned. So a clean used paperback from a bookstore is fine, but a marked-up secondhand copy is not. When you order used, choose copies described as unmarked or in good condition, and you get the savings without the rejection.
Paperback and Packaging
Stick to paperbacks. Hardcover books are typically rejected in Indiana, so paperback is the safe default. And pay attention to the packaging itself, because Indiana can withhold a package over the wrapping, not just the contents. Envelopes and packing made of bubble wrap, plastic, insulation, hard cardboard mailers, or even Priority or Express Mail envelopes can be treated as a security concern. This is mostly the seller's job, but it is one more reason to order from a publisher or bookstore that knows how to ship to prisons in plain, compliant packaging.
Magazines and Newspapers
Magazines and newspapers follow the same logic: they must come directly from the publisher, which for periodicals means a subscription in your person's name shipped to the facility. Because a subscription ships straight from the publisher, it sidesteps the third-party fulfillment problem cleanly.
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 Indiana Rejects
Indiana reviews publications case by case, and notably it does not keep a master banned-books list, so every decision is made on the individual item. The standard is security: material that violates security threat group rules, that is gang-related, or that threatens the safety and security of the facility can be censored, with higher-level legal review required for those calls. Sexually explicit content is also rejected.
What is worth knowing is the protection built into Indiana's policy. Correspondence cannot be censored, delayed, or disallowed solely because of the sender's or receiver's moral, political, ethical, ethnic, or religious values, attitudes, or choice of words. In plain terms, a book is not supposed to be rejected just because someone disagrees with its viewpoint. And when an item is withheld, the facility must document it and notify your person, who has the right to challenge it through the grievance process, and mail that is the subject of a grievance cannot be destroyed. If your person wants a specific title and it is rejected, that notice and grievance path is your road map.
Tablets and E-Books
Indiana issues tablets to people in custody through its contracted provider, and those tablets may 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, ordered the right way.
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 recognized organization under their own label rather than a third-party fulfillment service, they generally clear Indiana's shipping 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 Indiana on our Indiana reentry resources page.
Get It Right the First Time
Here is the whole thing in a breath. Books must ship directly from a publisher or an approved bookstore, never from you, and Indiana will reject anything that arrives with a third-party fulfillment return label, which is the trap that catches Amazon orders. The safest route is a publisher or an established bookstore shipping under its own name; if you use Amazon, make sure it is sold and shipped by Amazon, not a marketplace seller. Used paperbacks are allowed as long as they are clean and unmarked. Watch the packaging, send nothing tucked inside, 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 an Indiana inmate myself?** No. Indiana requires books and publications to be sent directly from a publisher or an approved bookstore, not from an individual. A package that appears to come from a person's home will be returned.
**Why do Amazon orders get rejected in Indiana?** Indiana rejects any package that arrives with a return label belonging to a third-party fulfillment service, and that is how many Amazon orders ship, especially marketplace seller orders. To avoid it, order from a publisher or an established bookstore that ships under its own label, or if you use Amazon, choose a copy sold and shipped by Amazon directly, not a marketplace seller.
**Can I send a used book?** Yes. Indiana allows used books, but they are inspected, and if a used book contains writing, highlighting, pictures, or other markings, it is rejected. Choose clean, unmarked copies and used paperbacks are a fine, affordable option.
**Does it have to be paperback?** Yes, paperback is the safe choice, since hardcovers are typically rejected. Also pay attention to packaging, as bubble mailers, boxes, and Priority or Express envelopes can be withheld, which is another reason to use a seller experienced with prison shipping.
**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, and because it ships from the publisher it avoids the third-party fulfillment problem. Stick to mainstream titles.
**What gets a book rejected in Indiana?** Sexually explicit content, gang or security threat group material, and anything threatening facility security, reviewed case by case. Indiana does not keep a master banned list. A book may not be rejected solely for its political, religious, or moral viewpoint, and you can grieve a rejection.
**What if my book is rejected?** Indiana must document the action and notify your person, who can challenge it through the grievance process, and mail under grievance cannot be destroyed. Use that notice to decide whether to appeal or choose a different title or seller.
[Amazon affiliate disclosure: site-level footer. NOTE: Amazon CTA is gated, see affiliate note in header re third-party fulfillment.]