How to Send Books and Magazines to an Inmate in Nebraska

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

VOLATILE / RECHECK BEFORE PUBLISH: Active First Amendment litigation. HRDC (Human Rights Defense Center) sued NDCS over the approved-vendor book policy (policy in place since May 2021, originally ONLY Edward R. Hamilton; suit ~Sept 2025 seeks to block enforcement; alleges 1A + due-process violations). Approved list changes over time (effective date Oct 22, 2025 version had ~20+ vendors). Re-verify approved vendors + litigation status at publish.

NOTE: Governing = NDCS Policy 113.23 (Approved Book Vendors) + offender mail policy. ID = NDCS ID number. Personal mail -> TextBehind, P.O. Box 247, Phoenix MD 21131 (scanned, delivered electronically; B&W copies, color photos in color); BUT books go to FACILITY from approved vendor, magazines go to FACILITY from publisher - NOT TextBehind. Legal Division route: incarcerated person may request a book not available from an approved vendor (case-by-case, denial in writing); correspondence/college course books + religious books of a recognized religion not on the list may come via institutional mailroom with review. New paperback; no hardcover (weapon); no excessively violent/pornographic/obscene.

How to Send Books and Magazines to an Inmate in Nebraska

A good book is one of the most valuable things you can put in the hands of someone you love inside a Nebraska 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. Nebraska runs a strict approved-vendor system for books, the rules are specific, and they are being challenged in court. Let me walk you through what actually works so your package is not the one that gets turned away.

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 Nebraska 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 may be mailed only from vendors on Nebraska's official approved book vendor list, shipped directly from that vendor to the facility. A book from an unapproved source is disposed of, even if it is brand new and perfectly clean.

The reason the state gives is contraband. Whatever you think of the policy, the practical takeaway is the same: order only from an approved vendor, or your money and the book are gone.

The Approved Vendor List

Nebraska keeps an official list of approved book vendors, and your job is to order from one of them. The list has grown over time and currently includes a range of sellers, among them Edward R. Hamilton Bookseller, SureShot Books, Books N Things Warehouse, Francie and Finch Bookshop in Lincoln, and Freebird Publishers, along with Barnes and Noble titles shipped through its distribution partner. Several nonprofit, religious, and legal-book providers are on the list as well.

Because the list changes as vendors are added, check the current NDCS approved book vendor list before you order, then place your order with one of those vendors and have it shipped directly to your person at the facility. Address it with your person's full name and NDCS ID number, the complete facility name with no abbreviations, and the facility address. A local option like Francie and Finch can be especially handy since they know the Nebraska rules.

Amazon Is Not on the List

This is the part that surprises almost everyone, so hear it clearly: Amazon is not an approved book vendor in Nebraska. This is different from most states, where a copy sold and shipped by Amazon goes through fine. In Nebraska, a book ordered from Amazon will be disposed of as coming from an unapproved vendor. Do not order your person's book from Amazon, use one of the approved vendors above instead.

If the Book Is Not Available From an Approved Vendor

Nebraska does give you a path when a specific title is not carried by any approved vendor, which is worth knowing. Your person can submit a request to the NDCS Legal Division to obtain a book that is not available through an approved vendor. These requests are evaluated case by case, and if one is denied, your person is told the reasons in writing. In addition, books for correspondence or college courses, and religious books of a recognized religion that are not available through an approved vendor, can come in through the institution mailroom for review. So if the approved vendors do not carry what your person needs, that does not automatically mean no, it means your person should put in the request through the proper channel.

A Policy Being Challenged in Court

You should know this policy is contested and could shift. When Nebraska first adopted the approved-vendor rule in 2021, it allowed books from only a single wholesaler. A national prisoner rights organization, the Human Rights Defense Center, has sued the state in federal court, arguing the approved-vendor system violates the First Amendment and denies due process because there was no way to appeal. Since the original single-vendor version, the state has expanded the list considerably. What this means for you is practical: the approved-vendor list and the rules around it can change, so check the current list and policy before a large order.

Personal Mail Goes Through TextBehind

Nebraska also changed how ordinary letters reach your person. Personal mail, your letters, cards, and photos, is 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 it to your person electronically, with copies typically in black and white and color photos copied in color.

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 ship to the facility, 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 the good news in an otherwise strict state. Magazines and newspapers are handled separately from the approved-book-vendor list. They may be sent to your person prepaid and directly from the publisher, routed to the facility. That means a normal publisher-direct subscription in your person's name is allowed, and given how restricted books are in Nebraska, a 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.

Format and Content

For books from an approved vendor, stick to new paperbacks. Hardcover books are not accepted because a hard cover can be used as a weapon. Nebraska also disposes of books with images or content considered excessively violent, pornographic, or obscene. If your person wants a specific title, confirm an approved vendor carries it in paperback, and check it against these content rules, before ordering.

Tablets and the Locator

Nebraska issues tablets, and your person's scanned mail, messages, and some media arrive there. To find your person's facility and NDCS ID number for addressing a book, use the state's incarcerated individual search. As elsewhere, tablet catalogs are limited and can carry charges, so treat the tablet as a supplement and keep getting the specific paperbacks your person actually wants through an approved vendor.

Free Books

If money is tight, you still have options in Nebraska. Some of the approved vendors are nonprofit, religious, and legal-book providers that supply free or low-cost books, and your person can request titles through them. The prison library is also there for everyday reading. Between the approved nonprofit vendors, the Legal Division request route, and the library, your person can keep reading even without much money. We keep current pointers to programs that serve Nebraska on our Nebraska 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 a vendor on Nebraska's approved list, shipped straight to the facility, never from you and never from Amazon. Check the current approved vendor list, order new paperback from one of them, and address it with your person's name, NDCS ID, and the full facility name. If no approved vendor carries the title, have your person request it through the NDCS Legal Division. Send personal letters and photos to the TextBehind address, but send books and magazines to the facility. Magazines are the bright spot, a prepaid publisher-direct subscription is allowed, so InmateAid can keep reading flowing.

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 Nebraska inmate myself?** No. Books may be mailed only from a vendor on Nebraska's approved book vendor list, shipped directly to the facility. A book from your home or an unapproved store is disposed of.

**Does Amazon work for sending books to a Nebraska prison?** No. Amazon is not on Nebraska's approved book vendor list, so an Amazon order will be disposed of. Order from an approved vendor such as Edward R. Hamilton, SureShot Books, Books N Things, Francie and Finch, or Freebird Publishers instead.

**What if no approved vendor carries the book my person wants?** Your person can submit a request to the NDCS Legal Division to obtain a book not available through an approved vendor. It is reviewed case by case, with reasons given in writing if denied. Course books and recognized religious books not on the list can also come through the mailroom for review.

**Where do I send books versus letters?** Books go to the facility address from an approved vendor. 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?** Magazines and newspapers may be sent prepaid and directly from the publisher to the facility, separate from the book-vendor list. 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 Nebraska prison.

**Does it have to be paperback?** Yes. Order new paperbacks from an approved vendor. Hardcover books are not accepted because a hard cover can be used as a weapon.

**Why is Nebraska'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 book system violates the First Amendment and due process. The policy has expanded since it began and could change again, so check the current rules before ordering.

[Amazon affiliate disclosure: site-level footer. NOTE: no Amazon book CTA in this guide - Amazon is not an approved book vendor in Nebraska.]