How to Send Books and Magazines to an Inmate in Iowa

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How to Send Books and Magazines to an Inmate in Iowa

A good book is one of the most valuable things you can put in the hands of someone you love inside an Iowa 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. Iowa runs one of the more restrictive systems in the country for getting books inside, so the most loving thing you can do is understand exactly how it works before you spend a dime.

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, because Iowa is stricter than most states. You cannot buy a book and mail it to your person yourself. Since a 2021 policy change, Iowa bars family, friends, and third parties from sending books, magazines, and other publications directly into its prisons. Publications must be ordered through a Department of Corrections approved vendor, and the order is expected to be placed by the incarcerated person. As a family member, your role is usually to put money on your person's account so they can order what they want, though the approved vendors may also let you place an order on their behalf to be shipped to them. A book that comes from anywhere else, or straight from you, is not allowed.

The reason Iowa gives is contraband. By funneling every book through a short list of vetted vendors, the system aims to keep drugs and other contraband out. Whether or not you agree with it, that is the rule, so let me show you how to work within it.

Iowa Allows Only Two Vendors

This is the part that surprises everyone. Iowa does not just require an approved vendor, it has historically approved only two of them: Books N Things Warehouse, based in New Jersey, and Hamilton Book, also known as Edward R. Hamilton, based in Connecticut. That is the whole list. Amazon is not allowed, Barnes and Noble is not allowed, and your local bookstore is not allowed. If a book does not come from one of the approved vendors, the facility will not accept it.

Because an approved vendor list can change, confirm the current list on the Iowa Department of Corrections website before ordering, but plan on ordering from one of those two unless Iowa has added more. Both carry a wide selection, so most titles your person wants can be found through them.

How Ordering Actually Works

Here is the practical sequence. Your person places an order with one of the approved vendors, paying from their inmate account, so the simplest thing you can do is make sure they have funds. You can add money to their account, and then they order the specific titles they want. If your person has not been shown how to order, that is common, so it is worth walking them through it or asking their unit staff.

Be aware of the cost wrinkle, because it catches families off guard. When you move money onto an account through the prison's contracted payment service, there are transfer fees, so a ten dollar book can end up costing meaningfully more by the time the funds clear and the order is placed. Budget for that. One small protection: if a book is sent back to the vendor, the original cost can usually be refunded, though your person still has to cover the return shipping.

Format

Stick to new, softcover paperbacks. That is the standard Iowa format, and the approved vendors ship compliant editions, so ordering through them keeps you on the right side of the format rules automatically. Send nothing tucked inside, since the order goes straight from the vendor.

Magazines and Newspapers

Magazines and newspapers come in as a subscription that ships directly from the publisher, set up in your person's name to the facility. When issues arrive, staff may remove advertising cards and product samples before handing the magazine over, but they will not remove articles or content. Keep titles mainstream, since sexually explicit material is rejected.

Because Iowa is strict about approved channels, make sure any subscription is in your person's name and ships directly from the publisher, and confirm with the facility if you have any doubt. A subscription is one of the kindest things you can set up, arriving on its own schedule.

What Iowa Rejects

Before ordering, know what gets turned away. Iowa rejects publications that describe methods of escape or include facility blueprints, that explain how to brew alcohol or manufacture drugs, that encourage physical violence or group disruption, that instruct in committing crimes, or that are sexually explicit in a way that threatens institutional security. If your person wants a specific title, a quick check against these rules saves money, especially since ordering already carries those account fees.

Tablets and Free eBooks

Iowa has a genuinely useful free option on the digital side. People with a tablet can access tens of thousands of free public-domain eBooks through Project Gutenberg, around fifty thousand titles, at no cost per book. The catch is the tablet itself, which is purchased through Iowa Prison Industries and costs around one hundred fifty dollars, so not everyone has one. If your person has a tablet, those free eBooks are a strong supplement to the paperbacks you order, and if they do not, helping them get one can pay off over time in free reading.

If Your Person Is in a County Jail

If your person is held in a county jail rather than a state prison, the rules are different and often less restrictive. Iowa county jails set their own policies, and many allow books from a legitimate retailer with fewer hoops than the state's two-vendor system, though some photocopy incoming mail. So if your person is in a county facility, confirm that jail's specific rules, and switch to the state's approved-vendor system once they are transferred to a Department of Corrections prison.

Free Books and the Library

Every Iowa prison has a library your person can request from, which is the most reliable free source of physical books given the vendor restrictions. Encourage your person to use it and to ask the librarian about titles they want. Between the library, the tablet eBooks, and the occasional ordered paperback, you can keep good reading flowing even within Iowa's tight system. We keep current pointers to resources that serve Iowa on our Iowa reentry resources page.

Get It Right the First Time

Here is the whole thing in a breath. You cannot mail a book to your person yourself in Iowa. Publications must be ordered through a Department of Corrections approved vendor, historically just Books N Things and Hamilton Book, with the order placed by your person from their account, so your job is usually to fund that account and confirm the current vendor list. Expect transfer fees that raise the real cost. Order new softcover paperbacks, set up magazine subscriptions through InmateAid so they ship from the publisher, lean on the tablet's free Gutenberg eBooks and the prison library, and follow county rules instead if your person is still in a county jail.

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 Iowa inmate myself?** No. Since 2021, Iowa bars family, friends, and third parties from sending books and publications directly. Everything must be ordered through a Department of Corrections approved vendor, with the order placed by your person, so your role is usually to fund their account.

**Which vendors does Iowa allow?** Historically only two: Books N Things Warehouse in New Jersey and Hamilton Book, also called Edward R. Hamilton, in Connecticut. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and local bookstores are not allowed. Confirm the current approved vendor list on the Iowa Department of Corrections website, since it can change.

**Why does a book cost more than the sticker price in Iowa?** Because money moved onto an inmate account through the prison's payment service carries transfer fees, so a ten dollar book can end up costing notably more once the funds clear. Budget for those fees when you add money for an order.

**Does it have to be paperback?** Yes, new softcover paperback is the standard, and the approved vendors ship compliant editions, so ordering through them keeps you within the format rules.

**How do I send a magazine?** Set up a subscription in your person's name that ships directly from the publisher, which InmateAid can do for you. Staff may remove advertising inserts and samples but not content. Confirm with the facility if unsure, since Iowa is strict about approved channels.

**Are there free books in Iowa?** Yes. Iowa prison libraries lend physical books, and people with a tablet can read about fifty thousand free Project Gutenberg eBooks. Tablets are purchased through Iowa Prison Industries for around one hundred fifty dollars, so not everyone has one.

**What if my person is in a county jail?** County jails set their own, often less restrictive, rules and many allow books from a legitimate retailer. Confirm that jail's policy, and switch to the state's two-vendor system once your person is transferred to a state prison.

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