VOLATILE / RECHECK BEFORE PUBLISH: Active First Amendment litigation. HRDC (Human Rights Defense Center / Prison Legal News) sued MN DOC over the approved-vendor/censorship policy (~Feb 2026; in federal court as of early June 2026). Approved list reviewed quarterly and could change. Re-verify approved vendors + litigation status at publish.
NOTE: Governing context = MN DOC mail policy + March 20, 2025 Book Vendor Memo (Crystal Brakke). Personal mail scanned via TextBehind (P.O. Box 247, Phoenix, MD 21131) effective rollout after Stillwater K2 exposure incident; BUT books go to the FACILITY address from approved vendors, and magazines go to the FACILITY from publishers - NOT to the TextBehind box. ID = OID. Tablets carry only Project Gutenberg public-domain titles.
How to Send Books and Magazines to an Inmate in Minnesota
A good book is one of the most valuable things you can put in the hands of someone you love inside a Minnesota 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. Minnesota is one of the strictest states in the country for books right now, the rules changed hard in 2024 and 2025, and they are being challenged in court. Let me walk you through what actually applies today so your package is not the one that gets returned.
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 Minnesota is stricter than most. You cannot buy a book at just any store and mail it, and you cannot send a book from your home. Books are allowed only from a short list of approved vendors and approved nonprofit organizations, and they must be shipped directly from that vendor or nonprofit to the facility. A book ordered from an unapproved source is returned or disposed of, even if it is brand new and perfectly clean.
The reason the state gives is contraband, especially drugs soaked into paper. Whatever you think of the policy, the practical takeaway is the same: order only from an approved source, or your money and the book are gone.
The Three Approved Ways to Get Books
Minnesota recognizes exactly three ways for your person to receive books. Know these cold before you spend a dollar.
First, new books purchased from an approved vendor. That means the approved catalog companies, Books N Things and Hamilton Books, or directly from an approved publisher, which currently includes HarperCollins, Hachette, Penguin Random House, Simon and Schuster, and Macmillan. One catch on the publishers: you must order through the publisher directly, not through a "buy from other retailers" link on the publisher's website, because that routes the order through an unapproved seller. A useful tip with the catalog companies is to have your person request genres they like rather than exact titles, since catalog inventory changes constantly.
Second, donated books from an approved nonprofit. New or used books may come from approved nonprofit organizations such as Books to Prisoners and Midwest Books to Prisoners. Your person usually writes to them to request titles or subjects, and the nonprofit ships directly to the facility.
Third, the prison library. Every facility has one, and with the mail rules this tight, the library matters more in Minnesota than in most states.
Amazon Does Not Work in Minnesota
This is the part that surprises almost everyone, so hear it clearly: Amazon and Barnes and Noble book purchases are not allowed in Minnesota prisons. This is different from most states, where a copy sold and shipped by Amazon goes through fine. Minnesota deliberately restricted purchasing to vendors that, in the state's words, do not let a book be shipped to a regular buyer and then passed back for reshipment, which rules Amazon out. So do not order your person's book from Amazon, it will be returned marked unauthorized vendor. Use the approved catalog companies or approved publishers above instead.
A Policy Being Fought in Court
You should know this policy is contested and could shift. A national prisoner rights organization, the Human Rights Defense Center, which publishes Prison Legal News, has sued the Minnesota Department of Corrections in federal court, arguing the approved-vendor system violates the First Amendment. The center says the approval process is burdensome by design, with applications reviewed only once a quarter, and that incarcerated readers have no independent way to appeal a rejected book. The policy itself has already moved once, from an initial near-total restriction in late 2024 to a somewhat broader multi-tier version in March 2025.
What this means for you is practical: the approved-vendor list can change, and the rules may loosen or shift depending on how the case goes. Before a big order, check the current approved vendor list on the Minnesota DOC website, since what is accurate today may be expanded or revised by the time you order.
Personal Mail Now Goes Through TextBehind
Minnesota also changed how ordinary letters reach your person. Personal mail, your letters, cards, and photos, is now sent to a private scanning vendor called TextBehind at a P.O. Box in Maryland, not to the prison. TextBehind scans the mail and delivers a printed copy, often in color, with a cover sheet. This came after a serious contraband incident in which staff were exposed to drugs believed to have been soaked into mail.
Here is the critical distinction so you do not lose a book: books and magazines do not go to the TextBehind address. Books from an approved vendor or nonprofit ship to the facility address, and magazine subscriptions go to the facility from the publisher. Only your personal letters and photos go to the TextBehind box. Send a book there by mistake and it will not reach your person.
Magazines and Newspapers
Here is some good news in an otherwise tight state. Magazines and newspapers are handled separately from the book-vendor restriction. Magazine subscriptions and catalogs go directly to the facility from the publisher, which means a normal publisher-direct subscription in your person's name is allowed. Given how restricted books are in Minnesota, a magazine subscription is one of the most reliable ways to keep fresh reading coming.
A subscription arrives on its own schedule and gives your person something to look forward to. Stick to mainstream titles, since sexually explicit content will be rejected.
What Minnesota Rejects
Beyond the source rules, Minnesota rejects publications that threaten the security or order of the facility, that contain sexually explicit material or nudity, or that otherwise violate content policy. Because the vendor list is reviewed only quarterly and appeals are limited, the smartest move is to stay well inside the lines: order mainstream titles from an approved source, and skip anything borderline. If your person wants a specific book, confirming it is available through an approved catalog or publisher first saves money and disappointment.
Tablets and the Library
Minnesota provides tablets, but be realistic about them. By the accounts of book programs working in the state, the tablet program has been unreliable, and the e-books available on tablets are largely public-domain titles from Project Gutenberg, meaning older classics rather than current books. Treat the tablet as a minor supplement at best. The physical prison library remains a far better everyday source, so encourage your person to use it.
Free Books
If money is tight, the nonprofit route is your best free option in Minnesota. Approved nonprofit organizations, including Books to Prisoners and Midwest Books to Prisoners, can send new or used books at no cost, usually after your person writes to request subjects or titles. These groups run on donations and volunteers, so allow time for a response. Between the approved nonprofits and the prison library, your person can keep reading even without money for new purchases. We keep current pointers to programs that serve Minnesota on our Minnesota reentry resources page, which is also the place to check as this policy continues to change.
Get It Right the First Time
Here is the whole thing in a breath. Books come only from an approved vendor or approved nonprofit, shipped straight to the facility, never from you and never from Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Use the approved catalog companies or approved publishers for new books, or an approved nonprofit for free ones, and lean on the prison library. Send personal letters and photos to the TextBehind address, but send books and magazines to the facility. Magazines are the bright spot, a publisher-direct subscription is allowed and reliable, so InmateAid can keep reading flowing. And because the policy is in court and reviewed quarterly, check the current approved list before a big order.
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 Minnesota inmate myself?** No. Books are allowed only from approved vendors or approved nonprofit organizations, shipped directly to the facility. A book sent from your home, or from an unapproved store, is returned or disposed of.
**Does Amazon work for sending books to a Minnesota prison?** No. Minnesota does not allow Amazon or Barnes and Noble book purchases. Order new books from an approved catalog company like Books N Things or Hamilton Books, or directly from an approved publisher, instead.
**Which book sources does Minnesota approve?** New books from approved catalog companies (Books N Things, Hamilton Books) or directly from approved publishers (currently HarperCollins, Hachette, Penguin Random House, Simon and Schuster, and Macmillan), plus new or used donations from approved nonprofits like Books to Prisoners and Midwest Books to Prisoners, plus the prison library. The list is reviewed quarterly, so confirm it before ordering.
**Where do I send books versus letters?** Books go to the facility address from an approved vendor or nonprofit. Personal letters and photos go to the TextBehind P.O. Box in Maryland for scanning. Do not send books or magazines to the TextBehind address.
**How do I send a magazine?** Magazine subscriptions go directly to the facility from the publisher and are not subject to the book-vendor restriction. A publisher-direct subscription in your person's name, which InmateAid can set up, is allowed and is one of the most reliable ways to get reading material into a Minnesota prison.
**Why is Minnesota's policy in the news?** A prisoner rights organization, the Human Rights Defense Center, has sued the state in federal court, arguing the approved-vendor system violates the First Amendment. The policy has already changed once and could change again, so check the current rules before ordering.
**What about tablets?** Minnesota tablets exist but have been unreliable, and the e-books on them are mostly older public-domain titles. The physical library and approved-vendor books are far better sources.
[Amazon affiliate disclosure: site-level footer. NOTE: no Amazon book CTA in this guide - Minnesota does not allow Amazon book purchases.]