How to Send Books and Magazines to an Inmate in New Jersey

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NOTE: Governing = N.J.A.C. 10A:18 (Inmate Mail), Inmate Handbook 10A:18-4.2(a). ID = SBI/NJDOC number. Distinctives: (1) STATE regulation explicitly ALLOWS HARDCOVER books (also paperback, magazines, soft cover) from publisher/source of sale - rare in this run; BUT facilities/security levels may restrict hardcover, confirm. (2) Numeric/recency rules: 12-book limit (incl paperbacks); NO limit on number of magazines/publications; newspapers over a week old destroyed; magazines over 90 days destroyed; inmate must PREPAY. (3) NJDOC scans non-privileged personal mail at contracted processor -> copies delivered (1-3 days); BUT books/magazines ship from publisher/source-of-sale to facility as physical items. Content rejects: sexually explicit, gang-related, promoting violence. Spanish-language allowed. Vendor sites say "most NJ prisons don't accept hardcover" but STATE reg permits it - presented accurately w/ confirm caveat. Filtered county jails.

How to Send Books and Magazines to an Inmate in New Jersey

A good book is one of the most valuable things you can put in the hands of someone you love inside a New Jersey 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 Jersey is more generous than most states in one surprising way, but it also has a few specific limits you need to know before you order. 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 Jersey you cannot buy a book yourself and put it in the mail. Books, magazines, and other publications must come from the publisher or the source of sale only, shipped directly to the facility, not from your home. The order must also be prepaid. 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 Jersey makes this workable and gives you more format freedom than most.

Where to Order: Amazon Works in New Jersey

Because a book has to come from the publisher or source of sale, the simplest path for most families is a major online bookseller that ships the book itself, and New Jersey allows printed materials shipped directly from publishers or approved retailers such as Amazon and 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 Jersey Department of Corrections number, then the facility, which you can confirm on the state's offender search. Send the book by itself, with nothing tucked inside, and send your letters separately.

New Jersey Allows Hardcover

Here is the surprising part, and it is good news. New Jersey's mail regulation lets your person receive hardcover books, not just paperbacks, along with magazines and other soft cover publications, as long as they come from the publisher or source of sale. That sets New Jersey apart, because most states ban hardcovers outright over the concern that a hard cover can be used as a weapon.

One caveat keeps you out of trouble: individual facilities and higher security levels may still restrict hardcovers even though the statewide rule allows them. So if you want to send a hardcover, confirm with your person's specific facility first. For a lower-security setting, a hardcover may be perfectly fine, which means you can send that nice edition New Jersey would let in but most states would not.

The Numbers: Twelve Books, Prepaid, Keep It Current

New Jersey is specific about quantities and freshness, so plan around these. Your person may keep a limit of twelve books at a time, including paperbacks, so do not flood them past that or the extras can be refused or have to be sent out. There is no limit on the number of magazines and publications they may receive, which is generous, but periodicals have to be current: newspapers more than a week old are destroyed, and magazines more than ninety days old must be disposed of. So order current issues and start subscriptions fresh rather than sending old back issues. And remember every book, magazine, and newspaper must be prepaid.

Your Letters Are Scanned, but Your Books Are Not

Here is the New Jersey split that confuses families. The state scans non-privileged personal mail at a contracted processing center and delivers printed copies to your person at the facility, usually within a few days, rather than handing over the original envelope. So the letter you mail arrives as a copy.

Books and magazines are different. A physical book or magazine shipped from the publisher or source of sale goes to the facility and reaches your person as the actual item, not a scan, because publications are handled separately from personal letters. So order books and subscriptions normally to the facility, send your letters through the regular mail process, and never tuck a personal note inside a book package.

Format

For paperbacks, send new copies with no staples or tear-out pages, since those can get a book refused. Hardcovers are allowed under the state rule but confirm the facility as noted above. Spanish-language and other foreign-language books are generally fine as long as the content meets the same rules as English titles, which makes New Jersey a good place to send bilingual or Spanish reading. Send the book on its own, with nothing tucked inside.

Magazines and Newspapers

Magazines and newspapers follow the same logic: they must come directly from the publisher, which for periodicals means a subscription in your person's name shipped to the facility. There is no cap on how many your person may receive, but keep them current given the recency rules. Stick to mainstream titles, since sexually explicit content will 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 New Jersey Rejects

Before you spend money, know what gets turned away. New Jersey rejects publications with sexually explicit material, gang-related content, and content that promotes violence or otherwise threatens the security and order of the facility. Non-compliant items may be destroyed or processed on a corrective action form. If your person wants a specific title, a quick check against these rules saves money.

Tablets and the Locator

New Jersey provides electronic messaging and tablets through its contracted vendor, and your person's scanned mail and messages arrive there. To find your person's facility and ID number for addressing a book, use the New Jersey offender search. As elsewhere, tablet catalogs are limited and can carry charges, so treat the tablet as a supplement and keep sending the specific books 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, and the twelve-book limit still applies. We keep current pointers to programs that serve New Jersey on our New Jersey reentry resources page.

Get It Right the First Time

Here is the whole thing in a breath. Books and publications must come from the publisher or source of sale, prepaid and shipped to the facility, never from you, and Amazon works as long as the copy is sold and shipped by Amazon. New Jersey allows hardcovers under the state rule, though you should confirm the facility, and Spanish-language books are fine. Keep your person at or under twelve books, send current periodicals only, and remember newspapers over a week and magazines over ninety days are destroyed. Your letters arrive as scans, but books and magazines arrive as the real item. 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 Jersey inmate myself?** No. Books, magazines, and publications must come from the publisher or source of sale, prepaid and shipped to the facility, not from your home. A book mailed from an individual is refused.

**Does Amazon work for sending books to a New Jersey prison?** Yes. New Jersey 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.

**Does New Jersey really allow hardcover books?** Yes, the statewide rule permits hardcover books from the publisher or source of sale, which is unusual. But individual facilities and higher security levels may restrict them, so confirm with your person's specific facility before sending a hardcover.

**How many books can my person have?** New Jersey sets a limit of twelve books at a time, including paperbacks. There is no limit on the number of magazines and publications, but periodicals must be current.

**Why was an old magazine thrown out?** New Jersey destroys newspapers more than a week old and magazines more than ninety days old. Order current issues and start subscriptions fresh rather than sending old back issues.

**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. There is no cap on the number, but keep them current. Stick to mainstream titles.

**What gets a book rejected in New Jersey?** Sexually explicit material, gang-related content, and content that promotes violence or threatens facility security. Non-compliant items may be destroyed.

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