How to Send Books and Magazines to an Inmate in Michigan

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Internal links: Michigan inmate search (OTIS), send money, visitation, Staying Connected hub, Michigan reentry resources

NOTE: Governing policy = MDOC PD 05.03.118 (Prisoner Mail). CURRENT CHANGES (effective Feb 9, 2026): NO hardcover books even from approved vendors (soft cover only; hardcovers returned to sender on/after that date); used book donations from libraries/religious orgs no longer accepted. Approved-Internet-vendor system (Attachment A). New only, paperback only, no spiral.

How to Send Books and Magazines to an Inmate in Michigan

A good book is one of the most valuable things you can put in the hands of someone you love inside a Michigan 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. Michigan tightened its book rules in early 2026, so some of what you may have read elsewhere is now out of date. Let me walk you through what actually applies today.

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 Michigan you cannot buy a book yourself and put it in the mail. Books and publications must be new and sent directly to your person from an approved Internet vendor or from the publisher. 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, approved seller. Michigan is specific about which sellers count, and there is an Amazon detail that catches a lot of families, so read the next part carefully.

Where to Order: Amazon Works, But Only Amazon's Own Copy

Michigan lists Amazon among its approved Internet vendors, so Amazon works here, with one precise catch that the state spells out. On Amazon, some listings are actually sold and mailed by private individuals or other vendors, not by Amazon itself. Michigan only accepts the publication if the seller that actually sells and mails it is the approved vendor, meaning Amazon itself. So a copy sold and shipped by Amazon is fine, but a copy from a third-party marketplace seller on Amazon's site is rejected, even though it came through Amazon. On the listing, look for "Ships from Amazon" and "Sold by Amazon," and avoid marketplace sellers.

Order new, address it to your person with their full name and MDOC number, then the facility, which you can confirm on OTIS, Michigan's Offender Tracking Information System. Send the book by itself, with nothing tucked inside, and send your letters separately.

New and Soft Cover Only: The 2026 Change

This is the part that changed recently, so pay attention even if you have sent books before. As of February 9, 2026, Michigan no longer allows hardcover books at all, even from approved vendors. Any hardcover received at a facility on or after that date is returned to the sender. Soft cover books from an approved vendor are still accepted. Hardcovers your person already had in their property before the change can stay if they comply with property rules, but you cannot send new ones.

So the format rule today is simple: new, soft cover paperback, from an approved Internet vendor or the publisher. No hardcover, no spiral binding, no used books. If a title only exists in hardcover, you will need to find a paperback edition or skip it.

Used Book Donations Are No Longer Accepted

There is a second 2026 change worth knowing, because it narrows a free option families relied on. Michigan no longer accepts used book donations from libraries or religious organizations. In the past, those groups could donate used books, but that channel is closed now. What remains is new soft cover books from an approved vendor, plus the prison library. If you were counting on a used-book donation program to supply your person, plan instead on ordering new paperbacks or leaning on the facility library.

Magazines and Newspapers

Magazines and newspapers follow the same logic: they must come directly from the publisher or an authorized vendor, which for periodicals means a subscription in your person's name shipped to the facility. Stick to mainstream titles, since publications with nudity, maps, or instructions for making drugs or alcohol are rejected.

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 Michigan Rejects

Before you spend money, know what gets turned away. Michigan rejects publications that contain nudity, that include maps, that describe the manufacture of drugs or alcohol, that give detailed instruction in criminal activity, or that depict or promote sexual acts involving children, even in a small advertisement. Routine advertising in a publication sent directly from an approved vendor or publisher is otherwise fine. Note also that bulk-rate or pre-sorted standard mail can be discarded on arrival, so a real subscription beats junk-rate mailings. If your person wants a specific title, a quick check against these rules saves money.

Tablets and OTIS

Michigan provides tablets and electronic messaging, so your person may have access to e-messaging and some e-books or media. To find your person's facility and MDOC number for addressing a package, use OTIS, the state's public offender tracking system. 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 the Library

With used-book donations from libraries and religious organizations no longer accepted, the prison library is now your main free source of physical books in Michigan, so encourage your person to use it and request titles from the librarian. New soft cover books from an approved vendor remain the way to get specific titles in. We keep current pointers to programs and resources that serve Michigan on our Michigan reentry resources page, which is the place to check as policies continue to change.

Get It Right the First Time

Here is the whole thing in a breath. Books must be new and ship from an approved Internet vendor or the publisher, never from you. Amazon works, but only a copy that is sold and mailed by Amazon itself, not a marketplace seller. As of February 2026, send soft cover only, no hardcover, no spiral, no used. Address it with your person's name and MDOC number to the facility shown on OTIS, and send nothing tucked inside. Use InmateAid for magazine subscriptions, and because used donations are no longer accepted, lean on the prison library for free reading.

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 Michigan inmate myself?** No. Books must be new and sent directly to your person from an approved Internet vendor or the publisher. A book mailed from an individual's home will be refused.

**Does Amazon work for sending books to a Michigan prison?** Yes, Amazon is an approved Internet vendor, but only a copy that is sold and mailed by Amazon itself counts. A third-party marketplace seller's copy, even though it is on Amazon's site, will be rejected. Look for "Ships from Amazon" and "Sold by Amazon."

**Can I send a hardcover book?** No. As of February 9, 2026, Michigan no longer accepts hardcover books even from approved vendors, and any hardcover received on or after that date is returned to the sender. Send new soft cover paperbacks only, no spiral and no used.

**Can a library or church donate used books to my person?** No longer. As of 2026, Michigan no longer accepts used book donations from libraries or religious organizations. New soft cover books from an approved vendor and the prison library are the remaining options.

**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. Avoid titles with nudity or maps, and stick to mainstream magazines.

**What gets a book rejected in Michigan?** Nudity, maps, instructions for making drugs or alcohol, detailed instruction in criminal activity, and any depiction or promotion of sexual acts involving children. Hardcovers and used books are also refused under the current rules.

**How do I find my person's facility and number?** Use OTIS, Michigan's Offender Tracking Information System, to look up their MDOC number and current facility, then address the package with their full name and MDOC number to that facility.

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