How to Send Books and Magazines to an Inmate in South Dakota

INMATEAID EDITORIAL ARTICLE

Schema: Article + FAQPage

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

=> SOFTCOVER ONLY. Hardcover + hollow/wire-bound books subject to rejection. FAQ: "soft cover books and magazines are allowed."

NOTE: Governing = SD DOC, Family & Friends page (doc.sd.gov/adult-corrections/visitors) + DOC policies "Offender Correspondence" (DOC 1.5.D.3 family, rev 11/1/2022) and "Publications." ID = DOC number; ships to offender at facility (name + DOC number + complete legible return address required, or rejected). Source: publisher/distributor/accredited institution of higher learning ONLY; NO third-party marketplaces (Amazon/eBay explicitly named). Prior Warden/designee approval = exception for other sources. SOFTCOVER only (no hardcover, no hollow/wire-bound). Photos: >12 per mailing subject to rejection. Content: no graphic nudity/sexually explicit conduct (FAQ). Inmates may NOT exchange/buy/trade/barter/rent another inmate's books/magazines. Messaging via Getting Out (select facilities; not instant, reviewed, no photos, sender must be on approved phone list); VisitNow video; phone via Connect Network. Money via JailATM / money order/cashier's check (approved visitors). Package program via Union Supply. NOTE: county jails (e.g., Brookings) moved personal mail to Reliance scanning vendor 2/1/2026 - that is COUNTY-level, NOT the state DOC publications rule; did NOT conflate. Vendor site southdakotaprisons.org wrongly lists "Amazon or Barnes & Noble" as approved - CONTRADICTED by official page; relied on doc.sd.gov.

How to Send Books and Magazines to an Inmate in South Dakota

A book is one of the best things you can put in the hands of someone you love inside a South Dakota 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. South Dakota's rules are clear once you know them, but there is one rule that catches a lot of families off guard, so let me walk you through exactly how it works.

I am going to explain it the way someone who has done time would, plainly, so you get it right the first time and your money and effort actually reach the person you sent them for.

The Rule That Matters Most in South Dakota

Here is the rule to lock in before you order anything, because it is the one that trips people up. Books, magazines, and photos have to be sent to your person directly from the publisher, a distributor, or an accredited institution of higher learning. That is the whole game.

And here is the catch that surprises so many families: South Dakota does not allow books from third-party marketplaces such as Amazon or eBay. This is different from many other states, where ordering a book from Amazon and shipping it straight to the prison is exactly the right move. In South Dakota, that same order will be turned away. So if your instinct is to pop over to Amazon and send a book, stop, because that is the one path that does not work here. It is an easy mistake to make precisely because it works almost everywhere else, so if you have sent books to someone in another state's prison, set that habit aside for South Dakota and order a different way.

The reason for the rule is contraband control. When a book ships straight from the publisher or a recognized distributor, the mailroom can trust it is new and untampered. A book routed through a marketplace seller does not carry that same assurance, since it may have passed through several hands, which is why South Dakota draws the line where it does. Knowing the why makes the rule easier to follow without frustration, because you can see it is about safety rather than red tape.

So How Do I Actually Send a Book?

The key is to order so the book ships directly from a publisher or a legitimate book distributor, not from a consumer marketplace. In practice that means buying from a publisher's own website, or from an established book distributor that ships directly to correctional facilities, rather than from an Amazon or eBay listing.

A few things to get right. The book must be softcover. South Dakota rejects hardcover books, along with hollow or wire-bound books, since those bindings can conceal contraband, so always choose a paperback edition. When you shop, you will often see the same title offered in both hardcover and paperback, so just confirm you have selected the softcover version before you order, and avoid spiral or wire-bound formats. Address the book to your person with their full name and DOC number at their facility, since mail missing that information can be rejected. And if there is a specific book you want to send from a source that is not a publisher or distributor, the only way to do it is to get prior approval from the warden or a designee first, which is worth knowing exists but is not the easy everyday path.

It helps to understand the distinction the state is drawing. A publisher is the company that prints the book, and a distributor is a wholesaler that ships books in bulk and direct; both are trusted sources because the book arrives new and sealed from a business, not repackaged by an individual seller. A marketplace like Amazon or eBay, by contrast, is a platform where many third-party sellers list items, and the state cannot verify how any given seller handled the book. That is the line, and once you see it, the rule makes sense.

Build in a little patience, too. A book shipped to a prison can take a week or more to arrive and clear the mailroom, so order ahead of birthdays or holidays rather than at the last minute. Because South Dakota blocks the marketplace route that works in other states, this guide does not point you to a general online retailer for books. Order so the book ships from a publisher or distributor directly, and you are on solid ground. Magazines, happily, are simpler, and I will get to those next.

Magazines and Newspapers: The Easy Win

Magazines are a great fit for South Dakota, because the same publisher-direct rule that complicates books actually makes magazines simple. A magazine subscription that ships directly from the publisher is exactly what the policy allows. There is no marketplace problem to worry about, because a subscription comes straight from the source by definition.

A subscription also smooths out the timing, since instead of a single book that has to clear the mailroom once, your person gets a steady stream of issues, and missing one now and then matters far less than missing a single item you paid full price for. Over a long stretch of time, it is one of the best values going, and in South Dakota it sidesteps the one rule that causes the most trouble.

What Can Get a Publication Rejected

South Dakota inspects incoming publications, and a few things will get an item turned away. The big one is the source: anything not shipped directly from a publisher, distributor, or accredited school is rejected, which is the marketplace rule again. Beyond that, hardcover and hollow or wire-bound books are subject to rejection, as are mailings that include more than twelve photos. And the state does not allow any publication that graphically features nudity or sexually explicit conduct, so steer toward mainstream titles. A well-known novel, a hobby or trade book, a study guide, or a mainstream magazine clears these content rules without any trouble.

There is also a rule about what happens inside: your person cannot exchange, buy, trade, barter, or rent another inmate's books or magazines. That is on them to follow, but it is worth knowing, because it means the reading material you send is meant to stay with the person you sent it to. It also explains why the source rule matters so much to the state: keeping every book traceable to a legitimate shipment, and keeping it with one owner, is how the facility limits the ways contraband and trafficking can creep in through reading material.

A Few Practical Tips

A little planning goes a long way. Talk with your person ahead of time about what they actually want to read, since a title they are excited about does far more good than a guess, and it spares you from spending on something that sits unopened. A quick conversation also lets them tell you which format and source have worked before, which saves trial and error. Keep your order confirmation and any tracking number in case you need to follow up with the mailroom. And if your person transfers to another facility, confirm the new address before you order, since a book sent to a facility they have left will not simply follow them.

One more detail: every mailing needs a complete, legible return address along with your person's name and DOC number, or it can be rejected before it ever reaches them. It sounds small, but an incomplete or hard-to-read address is one of the avoidable reasons mail gets turned away.

Keep each order simple and clean. A single softcover book, shipped directly from a publisher or distributor, addressed with the correct name and DOC number, is the kind of order that clears the mailroom without trouble. The cleaner the order, the faster it reaches your person, and the less chance there is for anything to go sideways along the way.

Lean on the Library

Here is something families overlook. South Dakota prisons have libraries, and using them is free. Encourage your person to use the library heavily and to ask about the titles they want, since that often puts a book in their hands faster and at no cost than a shipped order, and it sidesteps the source rules entirely. For a family watching every dollar, the library does the heavy lifting, and your money can go toward a magazine subscription and the occasional book ordered the right way. That combination, free library reading plus one steady subscription, often serves a person better over a long sentence than a pile of books bought all at once, both because of cost and because there is simply more time to read than any single shipment can fill. Many people inside read far more than they ever did on the outside, simply because there is time, so a steady library habit paired with a magazine subscription can carry someone for years. The library is also a reliable backstop on the days a shipped book is still working its way through the mailroom, so your person is never without something to read. Between the library and a directly shipped magazine subscription for the titles they really want to follow, your person can read widely without large costs. We keep current pointers to programs and resources that serve South Dakota on our South Dakota reentry resources page, which is a good place to check as procedures change.

Staying Connected

Reading is one thread of staying close, but it works best alongside steady contact. South Dakota offers tablet messaging through Getting Out at select facilities, along with phone calls and VisitNow video calls, and keeping up regular contact makes the books and magazines you send land in a fuller relationship rather than arriving cold. A couple of things are worth knowing: messages are not instant and are reviewed, photos cannot be sent through the messaging system, and your number has to be on your person's approved list for messages to go through rather than sit pending. Letters remain the simplest, most personal way to stay in touch, and setting up messaging early means that on the days a shipped book is still clearing the mailroom, your person is not cut off from you. Think of publisher-direct books, magazine subscriptions, and the library for reading, and letters, messaging, calls, and visits for staying connected.

Get It Right the First Time

Here is the whole thing in a breath. In South Dakota, books, magazines, and photos must be sent directly from the publisher, a distributor, or an accredited institution of higher learning. Books from third-party marketplaces like Amazon or eBay are not allowed, which is the rule that catches the most people. Order so the book ships from a publisher or distributor directly, choose softcover only, and address it with your person's full name and DOC number. Magazines are the easy win, since a publisher-direct subscription is exactly what the policy allows. Keep mailings to twelve photos or fewer, avoid hardcovers and explicit content, and lean on the free library to round things 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 send a book from Amazon in South Dakota?** No. South Dakota does not allow books from third-party marketplaces such as Amazon or eBay. Books must be sent directly from the publisher, a distributor, or an accredited institution of higher learning. A book ordered through a marketplace will be rejected.

**How do I send a book the right way?** Order so the book ships directly from a publisher or a legitimate book distributor, rather than from a consumer marketplace listing. Choose a softcover edition and address it to your person with their full name and DOC number at their facility.

**Can I send a hardcover book?** No. South Dakota rejects hardcover books, along with hollow or wire-bound books, because those bindings can conceal contraband. Always choose a softcover, paperback edition.

**How do magazines work in South Dakota?** Magazines are allowed when sent directly from the publisher, which makes a subscription the easy option. There is no marketplace problem, because a subscription ships straight from the source. Address it with your person's full name and DOC number.

**Is there any way to send a book from another source?** Only with prior approval. If you want to send a book from a source that is not a publisher, distributor, or accredited school, you must get approval from the warden or a designee first. The publisher-direct route is the simple everyday path.

**How many photos can I include?** Mailings that include more than twelve photos are subject to rejection, so keep it to twelve or fewer per mailing. Photos must not contain graphic or explicit content.

**What content is not allowed?** South Dakota does not allow publications that graphically feature nudity or sexually explicit conduct. Stick to mainstream books and magazines, which clear the content rules without trouble.