INMATEAID EDITORIAL ARTICLE
Schema: Article + FAQPage
Internal links: Utah inmate search, send money, visitation, Staying Connected hub, Utah reentry resources
NOTE: Governing = Utah Dept of Corrections (UDC), Family & Friends "Financial Account Management" page (corrections.utah.gov/family-and-friends/financial-account-management/), current as of 2026. ID = offender number + facility address. BOOKS = commissary-only (inmate orders, vendor ships to prison, each book inspected); families CANNOT send books from Amazon/publisher/anyone. MAGAZINES = family may subscribe; publisher mails directly to inmate. Banned-publications list (Prohibited-Publications Rev. 2023 PDF on official site) + case-by-case content review; Inmate Property 801-522-7771 / 801-522-7772. PIGEONLY SCANNING (eff. 1/6/2025): all incoming PERSONAL mail (letters/cards/photos) -> Pigeonly Corrections processing center (scanned/printed/delivered to USCF or CUCF); return address required; letter envelopes <= 4 x 9.5 in, paper <= 8.5 x 11 in. CRITICAL CAUTION (official, all-caps on page): "DO NOT SEND ANY FUNDS TO PIGEONLY in LAS VEGAS, NEVADA!" Money -> UDC Finance (money order/cashier's check, NOT to prison, NOT to Pigeonly) or Access Corrections (kiosk/phone 1-866-345-1884 [$6.95]/web accesscorrections.com [$6.95]/walk-in via Cash Pay Today). Deductions: UDC may take up to 60% of incoming funds for unpaid debts (min $15 balance), ORS liens (min $5). Magazines ship publisher-direct to inmate (NOT via Pigeonly). Phones via CenturyLink (888-506-8407). Facilities: Utah State Correctional Facility (Salt Lake City) + Central Utah Correctional Facility (Gunnison). Vendor sites (jailexchange "Amazon/B&N/Books-A-Million"; SureShot/Corrections Bookstores "send books directly") OUTDATED/WRONG for UT state DOC - contradicted by official commissary-only rule; relied solely on official UDC page.
How to Send Books and Magazines to an Inmate in Utah
A good book or a magazine subscription is one of the best things you can put in the hands of someone you love inside a Utah 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. Utah handles books differently than most states though, so the way you help your person read is not quite what you might expect. 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 put your money and effort where it actually reaches the person you are trying to help.
The One Thing to Understand About Books in Utah
Here is the rule that surprises almost everyone, so I will say it plainly. In Utah, you cannot mail a book to your person, not from Amazon, not from a publisher, not from a bookstore, not from anyone. Books may only be bought through the prison commissary, and the commissary's book vendor ships them directly to the prison, where each one is inspected before it reaches the inmate.
That means the way you help with books is not by sending a book, it is by putting money on your person's account so they can order the books they want through the commissary. This is different from most states, where a family member can order a paperback online and have it shipped in. In Utah, that order would be rejected. So set that approach aside here, and think of books as something your person buys from the inside with funds you provide.
If you have read that Utah accepts books straight from Amazon or a bookstore, that information is out of date. Some third-party websites still say it, but the Utah Department of Corrections is clear that books come only through the commissary. Following the old advice just means a rejected book and wasted money, so trust the commissary route.
How to Fund Books: Put Money on Their Account
Since books come through the commissary, the most useful thing you can do is keep a little money on your person's account so they can buy the titles they want. Utah gives you several ways to do that, and you can find the current details and forms on our Utah send money page.
You can deposit funds through Access Corrections, the state's third-party provider, in a few ways: online at their website, by phone, at a kiosk in the visiting areas of either prison, or in cash at a walk-in location through their Cash Pay Today partner. You can also mail a money order or cashier's check to the Utah Department of Corrections finance office using their official form. Two cautions are worth repeating, because they protect your money. First, do not mail funds to the prison itself, and absolutely do not send any funds to Pigeonly in Las Vegas, Nevada, which handles scanned letters, not money. Money goes to the corrections finance office or through Access Corrections. Second, know that if your person owes certain debts, the state may take a portion of what you deposit toward those debts, so if you want to be sure money is available for books, it helps to talk with your person about what is on their account.
Once the money is there, your person orders books through the weekly commissary process, and the vendor ships them in. It is a little less personal than handing someone a book, but it is the path that actually works in Utah, and it puts the choice of titles in your person's hands.
Magazines: This Is Where Family Can Send Something Directly
Here is the good news, and it is where you get to give a real, recurring gift. Utah lets family and friends set up a magazine subscription for an inmate. You fill out a subscription listing your person's name, their offender number, and the facility address, and the publisher then mails each issue directly to your person at the prison. Unlike books, this is something you can arrange yourself from the outside.
A subscription also spreads the value out over time. Instead of a single item, your person gets a steady stream of issues across the whole subscription, which for many families is the best dollar-for-dollar way to support someone who is reading to pass the time. News, sports, hobby, and special-interest magazines all work well, as long as the content stays within the rules, which I will cover next.
What Can Get a Publication Rejected
Utah reviews incoming publications, and it keeps a published list of prohibited titles, with anything not on the list still evaluated case by case based on content. The concerns are the usual safety ones: material that is sexually explicit, that depicts or instructs in violence or weapons, that involves gang content, or that could threaten the security of the institution. A mainstream magazine almost never runs into trouble, so news, sports, and hobby titles are safe bets.
If you ever have a question about whether a specific book or magazine is allowed, Utah actually gives you a place to ask. You can contact the prison's Inmate Property staff by phone before you commit to a subscription or before your person spends commissary money on a title, which saves both the money and the disappointment. It is a good habit when you are unsure about a particular publication.
A Note on Letters and the Scanning Center
This is not about books, but it matters for staying in touch, and it is easy to mix up with the book and magazine rules, so it is worth a clear word. As of early 2025, Utah sends all personal mail, meaning letters, cards, and photos, to a separate processing center run by Pigeonly, where it is opened, scanned, and delivered to your person electronically or as a printed copy. Personal mail has its own size rules: envelopes no larger than about four by nine and a half inches, paper no larger than standard letter size, and a return address is required.
The key thing to keep straight is that these three paths are separate. Books come through the commissary. Magazines come from the publisher. Personal letters go to the Pigeonly scanning center. And money goes to the corrections finance office or Access Corrections, never to Pigeonly. Keep those four lanes clear in your mind and you will not lose a dime to a wrong address.
Lean on the Library
Here is something families overlook. Utah prisons have libraries, and using them is free. Encourage your person to use the library heavily and to request the titles they want, since that often puts a book in their hands at no cost and with no commissary spending at all. For a family watching every dollar, the library does the heavy lifting on books, and your money can go toward a magazine subscription and the occasional commissary book your person most wants to own. 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 subscription can carry someone for years. Between the free library, commissary books, and a publisher-direct magazine subscription, your person can read widely without large costs. We keep current pointers to programs and resources that serve Utah on our Utah 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. Utah delivers personal mail through the scanning center, supports phone calls through CenturyLink, and offers visitation, and keeping up regular contact makes the reading you support land in a fuller relationship rather than feeling like a transaction. A letter, even scanned, still means a great deal, and a phone account set up in advance keeps the line open. Think of commissary books, a magazine subscription, and the free library for reading, and letters, calls, and visits for staying connected.
Get It Right the First Time
Here is the whole thing in a breath. In Utah, you cannot mail a book to your person from any outside source. Books come only through the prison commissary, so the way to help with books is to put money on your person's account and let them order. Magazines are different and better for families: you can set up a publisher-direct subscription yourself, listing your person's name, offender number, and facility address. Keep your four lanes straight, since books come through commissary, magazines come from the publisher, letters go to the Pigeonly scanning center, and money goes to the corrections finance office or Access Corrections, never to Pigeonly. Stick to mainstream titles, check the prohibited list or call Inmate Property if unsure, and lean on the free prison library to stretch your dollars.
Get it right and you become the person who reliably gets good reading to someone who needs it. On the inside, that means more than you can know from out here.
FAQ
**Can I mail a book to a Utah inmate?** No. In Utah, books can only be purchased through the prison commissary, and the commissary's book vendor ships them to the prison directly. You cannot mail a book from Amazon, a publisher, a bookstore, or yourself. To help with books, put money on your person's account so they can order through the commissary.
**Then how do I help my person get books?** Fund their inmate account. Once there is money on the account, your person orders books through the weekly commissary process and the vendor ships them in. You can deposit funds through Access Corrections online, by phone, at a visiting-area kiosk, at a walk-in location, or by mailing a money order or cashier's check to the corrections finance office.
**Can I send a magazine subscription?** Yes. This is the one publication family and friends can arrange directly. Fill out a subscription with your person's full name, offender number, and the facility address, and the publisher mails each issue directly to your person at the prison.
**I read that Utah takes books straight from Amazon. Is that true?** No, that information is out of date. Some third-party sites still say it, but the Utah Department of Corrections is clear that books come only through the commissary. A book mailed in from an outside source will be rejected.
**Where do I send money, and where should I never send it?** Send money to the Utah Department of Corrections finance office by money order or cashier's check, or use Access Corrections. Never mail funds to the prison itself, and never send funds to Pigeonly in Las Vegas, Nevada, which only processes scanned personal mail.
**What kinds of magazines are allowed?** Mainstream news, sports, hobby, and special-interest magazines are generally fine. Utah keeps a prohibited-publications list and reviews other titles case by case, rejecting content that is sexually explicit, violent, gang-related, or a threat to security. If unsure, call the prison's Inmate Property staff before subscribing.
**Why do letters go somewhere different than magazines?** Utah scans personal mail, so letters, cards, and photos go to the Pigeonly processing center to be scanned and delivered. Magazines are publisher-shipped publications and go directly to your person at the prison instead. Keeping the two separate avoids misdirected mail.