How to Send Books and Magazines to an Inmate in Montana

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

NOTE: Governing = MT DOC offender mail policy + MSP Operational Procedure 3.3.6 (Inmate Mail). ID = AO Number / DOC ID. Distinctives: (1) personal mail scanned OFF-SITE -> delivered to tablets; personal mail sent to facility is RETURNED; BUT books/publications from a vendor go DIRECTLY to the facility. (2) Publications allowed "in any language or code" (books/magazines/newspapers). (3) Purchaser should be an approved contact/visitor; prepaid publications from publisher, book club, or bookstore. Content rejects: explosives/weapons/drugs manufacture, sexually explicit threatening security, criminal facilitation; written notice w/ specific reasons. MT uses some private/contract facilities (Crossroads/CoreCivic, Dawson County) - confirm facility.

How to Send Books and Magazines to an Inmate in Montana

A good book is one of the most valuable things you can put in the hands of someone you love inside a Montana 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. Montana is reasonable about reading material, it names Amazon as an acceptable source, and it even allows books in any language. Let me walk you through it.

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 Montana you cannot buy a book yourself and put it in the mail. Books must be sent directly to the facility from a vendor, publisher, book club, or bookstore, not from your home. A package that looks like it came from a person's house 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 seller. The good news is Montana makes this clear and workable, and it even tells you which vendor works.

Where to Order: Amazon Works in Montana, Officially

Montana spells this out: books must be received at its facilities directly from the vendor, and the state names Amazon specifically as an example. So a copy ordered from Amazon and shipped straight to the prison is exactly what Montana wants. 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 can get rejected. On the listing, look for "Ships from Amazon" and "Sold by Amazon."

One Montana detail to plan around: the person ordering should be an approved contact or visitor of your person, so if you are not already on their list, coordinate with them first. Address the book to your person with their full name and AO number, then the facility, which you can confirm on Montana's offender search. Send the book by itself, with nothing tucked inside.

Books Go to the Facility, Letters Go to a Scanner

Here is the Montana split that confuses families, and getting it right is the whole game. Personal mail, your letters, cards, and photos, is not delivered on paper at Montana's main facilities. It is scanned at an off-site facility and delivered to your person digitally on their tablet, and any personal mail sent directly to the prison is returned to the sender.

Books and publications are different. A book or magazine from a vendor, publisher, or bookstore goes directly to the facility, not to the off-site scanning center. So the rule is simple: order books to the facility address, and send personal letters through the scanning process your facility uses. Never send a book to the mail-scanning address, and never tuck a personal letter inside a book package, since that can get the package refused.

Any Language Is Allowed

Here is something Montana does that most states do not. Montana allows publications, books, magazines, and newspapers, in any language. Plenty of states quietly restrict or reject foreign-language material, but Montana does not, as long as the content otherwise meets policy. That makes Montana a good place to send a Spanish-language novel, a bilingual dictionary, a language-learning workbook, or a religious text in its original language. If your person reads in another language or wants to study one, you can order it the same way you would any other book.

Format

Stick to new paperbacks as the safe default. Used books are generally not accepted, and whether a specific facility takes hardcovers can vary, so confirm before sending a hardcover. Prepaid publications may come from a publisher, book club, or bookstore, which is why a new paperback ordered from a major bookseller is the smooth path. Send the book on its own, with no notes or extras inside.

Magazines and Newspapers

Magazines and newspapers follow the same logic: they must come directly from the publisher or vendor, which for periodicals means a subscription in your person's name shipped to the facility. Vendor publications like magazines and newspapers are handled as the exception to ordinary mail rules, so a real subscription flows in cleanly. Stick to mainstream titles, since sexually explicit content can be 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 Montana Rejects

Before you spend money, know what gets turned away. Montana rejects publications that give instructions for manufacturing explosives, weapons, drugs, or drug paraphernalia, and sexually explicit material that by its nature threatens the security, good order, or discipline of the facility or facilitates criminal activity. When a publication is found unacceptable, the facility must promptly tell your person in writing, with reference to the specific material considered objectionable. If your person wants a particular title, a quick check against these rules saves money.

Tablets and the Offender Search

Montana issues tablets, and your person's scanned personal mail, messages, and some media arrive there, with digital communication available through the state's messaging service. To find your person's facility and AO number for addressing a book, use the Montana Department of Corrections offender search. 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

If money is tight, you still have options. Facilities have libraries your person can request from, though selection varies. 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 Montana on our Montana reentry resources page.

Get It Right the First Time

Here is the whole thing in a breath. Books must ship directly to the facility from a vendor, publisher, or bookstore, never from you, and Montana names Amazon as a source that works, so order a copy sold and shipped by Amazon. Make sure the purchaser is an approved contact, order new paperback, and address it with your person's name and AO number to the facility. Remember the split: books go to the facility, but personal letters go through off-site scanning to the tablet. Montana allows any language, so order freely in the language your person reads. 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 Montana inmate myself?** No. Books must be sent directly to the facility from a vendor, publisher, book club, or bookstore, not from your home. A book mailed from an individual is refused.

**Does Amazon work for sending books to a Montana prison?** Yes. Montana names Amazon as an acceptable vendor and says books must come directly from the vendor to the facility. Choose a copy sold and shipped by Amazon, not a third-party marketplace seller, in new paperback.

**Why was my letter returned but a book would go through?** Montana scans personal mail at an off-site facility and delivers it to your person's tablet, returning any personal mail sent directly to the prison. Books from a vendor are different, they go directly to the facility. Order books to the facility address and send letters through the scanning process.

**Can I send a book in Spanish or another language?** Yes. Montana allows publications in any language, including books, magazines, and newspapers, as long as the content meets policy. It is a good place to send foreign-language or bilingual reading.

**Does the person ordering need to be approved?** Montana indicates the sender should be an approved contact or visitor of your person, so if you are not on their list, coordinate with them before ordering.

**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. Vendor publications flow in as an exception to ordinary mail rules. Stick to mainstream titles.

**What gets a book rejected in Montana?** Instructions for making explosives, weapons, drugs, or drug paraphernalia, and sexually explicit material that threatens facility security or facilitates criminal activity. Your person is notified in writing with the specific reasons.

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