How to Send Books and Magazines to an Inmate in Maryland

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Internal links: Maryland inmate search, send money, visitation, Staying Connected hub, Maryland reentry resources

NOTE: Distinctive = 2018 DPSCS two-vendor book restriction (Institutional Bulletin #2018-02) RESCINDED/nullified 6/11/2018 after ACLU + PEN America pushback (confirmed by PEN 2024). Fluoroscope (x-ray) screening of packages. No-tampering format rule (no removed/torn/reattached pages or covers). Facility acronym required on envelope.

How to Send Books and Magazines to an Inmate in Maryland

A good book is one of the most valuable things you can put in the hands of someone you love inside a Maryland 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. Maryland once tried to lock book access down hard, families fought it, and today the rules are more open again. Let me walk you through where things stand.

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 Maryland you cannot buy a book yourself and put it in the mail. Books must be sent directly from a publisher or a commercial distributor, shipped straight to the facility. A third party, like you, can buy and pay for the book, but it has to ship from the seller, not from your home. A package that looks like it came from a person's house gets refused.

The reason is contraband, especially Suboxone and other drugs, which Maryland has fought hard to keep out of its mail. 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.

Where to Order: Amazon Works in Maryland

Because a book has to ship from a publisher or commercial distributor, the simplest path for most families is a major online bookseller that ships the book itself. Maryland allows books from reputable sources including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Books-A-Million. 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 name and Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services number, then the facility and its required acronym, which you can confirm on Maryland's inmate locator. Send the book by itself, with nothing tucked inside, and send your letters separately.

The Two-Vendor Rule Is Gone

This is worth knowing, because families who looked into this a few years ago may have heard something scarier. In 2018, Maryland tried to restrict book orders to just two approved vendors, capping people at ten books every three months and blocking donations from outside organizations. The selection was so narrow that major works, from To Kill a Mockingbird to the Autobiography of Malcolm X, and even paperback Harry Potter, could not be obtained through the two vendors. After strong pushback from the ACLU, PEN America, and book programs, the state nullified that policy in June 2018, and it has stayed rescinded.

What that means for you today: you are not stuck with two vendors. You can order from major booksellers and publishers again, as described above. The one caution is that Maryland has a history of floating sweeping mail restrictions, including an earlier postcard-only proposal that was also scrapped, so if you want to be certain, confirm the current policy on the DPSCS website before a big order. As of now, the open approach is back.

Format: No Hardcover, No Tampering

Stick to new paperbacks. Maryland does not accept hardcover books, since a hard cover can be used as a weapon. It also rejects books that show signs of tampering, so a book may not have removed, torn, or reattached pages, or a removed or reattached cover. That is why ordering a fresh copy from a seller, rather than sending a used book that has been handled, is the safe route. Send the book on its own, with no notes or photos inside.

Packages Get X-Rayed

Here is a Maryland-specific step to expect: incoming mail and packages may be run through a fluoroscope, an x-ray screening, to check for contraband before they are opened and inspected. This is part of how Maryland fights drug-soaked paper. It is nothing for you to do anything about, but it is good to know that your person's book goes through real screening, which is another reason a clean, new copy from a recognized seller sails through while anything irregular draws scrutiny.

Magazines and Newspapers

Magazines and newspapers follow the same rule: they must come directly from the publisher, which for periodicals means a subscription in your person's name shipped to the facility. Magazines that contain profanity, weapons content, pornography, or other adult material will be confiscated, so stick to mainstream titles.

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 Maryland Rejects

Before you spend money, know what gets turned away. Maryland rejects publications that describe methods of escape or facility security, that explain how to brew alcohol or manufacture drugs, that encourage violence, or that contain pornography, obscenity, or excessive violence. Be aware that nudity even on a book's cover can trigger a rejection, Maryland has refused a poetry collection over cover imagery, so a tame edition is the safer bet. When a publication is found unacceptable, your person is notified. If they want a specific title, a quick check against these content rules saves money.

Tablets and the Library

Maryland provides tablets and electronic messaging, so your person may have access to e-messaging and some e-books or media. The state also runs real prison libraries, with well over one hundred thousand books across the system, operated through the Maryland Department of Labor. 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 and Book Programs

If money is tight, you still have options. Every Maryland facility has a library your person can request from, and the libraries accept donations that meet their criteria. 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 Maryland on our Maryland 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 commercial distributor, never from you, and Amazon works as long as the copy is sold and shipped by Amazon. The old two-vendor restriction is gone, so you can use major booksellers again, though it is worth confirming current policy given Maryland's history. Order new paperback, no hardcover and nothing with torn or reattached pages, address it with your person's name, DPSCS number, and facility acronym, and send nothing tucked inside. Expect packages to be x-rayed. Use InmateAid for magazine subscriptions, and lean on the library and book programs to round it out.

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 Maryland inmate myself?** No. Books must be sent directly from a publisher or commercial distributor. You can buy and pay for the book as a third party, but it has to ship from the seller, not from your home.

**Does Amazon work for sending books to a Maryland prison?** Yes. Maryland allows books from reputable sources including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Books-A-Million. Choose a copy sold and shipped by Amazon, not a third-party marketplace seller, in new paperback.

**Is it true Maryland only allows two book vendors?** Not anymore. Maryland tried that in 2018, but the policy was rescinded after pushback from the ACLU and PEN America, and it has stayed nullified. You can order from major booksellers again, though confirming the current policy is wise given the state's history.

**Does it have to be paperback?** Yes. Maryland does not accept hardcover books, and it rejects books with removed, torn, or reattached pages or covers. Order a fresh new paperback from a seller.

**Will the package be searched?** Yes. Maryland may run incoming mail and packages through a fluoroscope, an x-ray, to check for contraband, then open and inspect them. A clean, new copy from a recognized seller passes without trouble.

**How do I send a magazine?** Set up a subscription in your person's name shipped directly from the publisher, which InmateAid can do for you. Magazines with profanity, weapons content, pornography, or adult material are confiscated, so stick to mainstream titles.

**What gets a book rejected in Maryland?** Escape or security content, instructions for drugs or alcohol, content encouraging violence, and pornography or obscenity, including nudity on a cover. Your person is notified of a rejection, so choose a tame edition when in doubt.

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