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Internal links: New Hampshire inmate search, send money, visitation, Staying Connected hub, New Hampshire reentry resources
NOTE: Governing = NHDOC PPD on mail/publications + Literary Review Committee (LRC). ID = NHDOC ID number. Distinctives: (1) Effective Oct 1, 2021 personal mail is PHOTOCOPIED, only copies delivered, originals held 10 days then shredded; BUT books/magazines ship as physical publications from publisher/retailer to the facility (not copy-shredded). (2) Literary Review Committee reviews withheld publications with written notice (first-class within 10 days; periodicals posted on units). (3) Photocopies of published material (from a book/magazine) NOT allowed (copyright) - contrast Maine/Massachusetts. New paperback; hardcover often restricted; no spiral/staples. Content rejects: nudity, violence, security risk. State prisons use contracted messaging/tablets. Filtered county jails (Hillsborough, Merrimack, Cheshire, Strafford) - NOT state. Strafford County HRDC suit = COUNTY, not NHDOC state; not flagged volatile for the state guide.
How to Send Books and Magazines to an Inmate in New Hampshire
A good book is one of the most valuable things you can put in the hands of someone you love inside a New Hampshire 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. New Hampshire is reasonable about books, and Amazon works here, but the state handles your letters very differently from your books, and knowing that difference is the whole game. 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 New Hampshire you cannot buy a book yourself and put it in the mail. Printed materials must ship directly from a publisher or an approved retailer, 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 New Hampshire names the kind of retailer that works.
Where to Order: Amazon Works in New Hampshire
For most families, the simplest path is a major online bookseller that ships the book itself, and New Hampshire allows printed materials shipped directly from publishers or approved retailers such as Amazon or Barnes and Noble. 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 New Hampshire Department of Corrections ID number, then the facility, which you can confirm on the state's inmate locator. Send the book by itself, with nothing tucked inside, and send your letters separately.
Your Letters Are Photocopied, but Your Books Are Not
Here is the New Hampshire split that confuses families. Since October 2021, the state prison system no longer hands your person the original letters you send. Incoming personal mail, your letter and any enclosures, is photocopied, only the photocopies are delivered, and the original is held for ten days and then shredded. So the card you mailed does not reach your person as the physical card, the copy does.
Books and magazines are different. A physical book or magazine shipped from a publisher or retailer goes to your person as the actual item, not as a photocopy, because publications are handled separately from personal letters. So order books and subscriptions normally to the facility, and just know that your personal letters arrive as copies. One more thing this rule means: do not bother photocopying pages from a book or magazine to mail in, since New Hampshire does not allow photocopies of published material for copyright reasons. Material you print from the internet is generally fine, but copied book or magazine pages are not.
How Rejections Work: the Literary Review Committee
New Hampshire runs publication decisions through a Literary Review Committee, which reviews materials that are held back. If a publication is withheld, your person is notified, with first-class items handled on a set timeline and held periodicals posted on the housing units. The takeaway for you is that there is a defined review process rather than a guard's snap judgment, and that a clearly mainstream title from a recognized seller rarely runs into trouble. If your person wants something borderline, expect it may go to the committee.
Format
Stick to new paperbacks. Hardcover books are often restricted, so unless the facility confirms otherwise, send softcover. Avoid spiral bindings and staples where possible, and do not tuck notes, photos, or bookmarks inside the package, since extras can get it refused. New, paperback, and shipped straight from the retailer is the combination that works.
Magazines and Newspapers
Magazines and newspapers follow the same logic as books: they must come directly from the publisher, which for periodicals means a subscription in your person's name shipped to the facility. Stick to mainstream titles, since material with nudity or content deemed a security risk can be withheld for review.
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 New Hampshire Rejects
Before you spend money, know what gets turned away. New Hampshire withholds publications that contain nudity or sexual content, that depict or encourage violence, or that otherwise threaten the security and order of the facility. When a publication is withheld, the Literary Review Committee process applies and your person is notified in writing of the decision and the reasons. If your person wants a specific title, a quick check against these rules saves money.
Tablets and Messaging
New Hampshire offers monitored electronic messaging and tablets through its contracted vendor, so your person may be able to receive electronic messages and some media. Messages are monitored and not private. As elsewhere, tablet catalogs are limited and can carry charges, so treat the tablet and e-messaging as ways to stay in touch, 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 New Hampshire on our New Hampshire 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 publisher or approved retailer, never from you, and Amazon works as long as the copy is sold and shipped by Amazon. Order new paperback, address it with your person's name and NHDOC ID, and send nothing tucked inside. Remember the split: your letters arrive as photocopies and the originals are shredded after ten days, but books and magazines arrive as the real item. Skip photocopied book pages, since those are not allowed. 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 New Hampshire inmate myself?** No. Printed materials must ship directly from a publisher or an approved retailer, not from your home. A book mailed from an individual is refused.
**Does Amazon work for sending books to a New Hampshire prison?** Yes. New Hampshire allows printed materials shipped directly from publishers or approved retailers such as Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Choose a copy sold and shipped by Amazon, not a third-party marketplace seller, in new paperback.
**Why did my person get a copy of my letter instead of the original?** Since October 2021, New Hampshire photocopies incoming personal mail, delivers only the copies, and shreds the original after ten days. This applies to letters, not to books and magazines, which arrive as the actual item.
**Can I photocopy pages from a book to send?** No. New Hampshire does not allow photocopies of published material, for copyright reasons. Material printed from the internet is generally allowed, but copied book or magazine pages are not.
**Does it have to be paperback?** New paperback is the safe choice. Hardcovers are often restricted, so confirm with the facility before sending one, and avoid spiral bindings and staples.
**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. Stick to mainstream titles, since material with nudity or a security concern can be withheld.
**What happens if a publication is rejected?** New Hampshire's Literary Review Committee reviews withheld materials, and your person is notified in writing of the decision and the reasons, with first-class items handled on a set timeline.
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