How to Send Books and Magazines to an Inmate in Wisconsin

INMATEAID EDITORIAL ARTICLE

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

=> NEW BOOKS ONLY (2024 change - the defining current angle). Fall 2024 WI DOC barred donated/USED books; even nonprofits (Wisconsin Books to Prisoners) may now send NEW books only. Frame Amazon link around new copies; flag no-used-books.

NOTE: Governing = Wis. Admin. Code DOC 309.05 (Publications) + DOC 309.04 (Inmate Mail); DAI Policy 309.04.01 (implementing). ID = inmate name + DOC number; institution. Source: publisher or other recognized commercial source only (DOC 309.05(2)(a)). NEW ONLY - fall 2024 DOC change barred donated/used books (Wisconsin Watch/Wisconsin Examiner, 9-10/2024); nonprofits may send new only. Content bars (DOC 309.05(2)(b)): teach/advocate violence or hatred presenting danger to security/order; teach/advocate law/rule-breaking; teach/describe manufacture or use of weapons/explosives/drugs/intoxicants; "injurious" per DOC 309.04(4)(c)8.; teach/describe making devices that create substantial danger of physical harm. SPEECH-PROTECTIVE (DOC 309.05(2)(c)): may NOT prohibit a publication based on appeal to a particular ethnic/racial/religious audience or because of political beliefs expressed. NUDITY: DOC 309.02(7m) - "Features" nudity (routine/regular depictions, or self-promotes on nudity) may be barred; will NOT prohibit solely for nudity with medical/educational/anthropological purpose. Nudity defined (DAI 309.20.03): exposed genitals/pubic area, or female areola/nipple, with less than fully opaque covering. Appeal (DOC 309.05(3)): if not delivered, dept notifies inmate AND sender; inmate appeals to warden within 10 days. ROUTING: WI contracts a "Mail Management Service" vendor (DAI 309.04.01) to process non-privileged/personal mail (letters/photos/cards); publications from publisher/commercial source are a recognized category. Personal letters route through the processing vendor. No statewide hardcover ban found in DOC 309.05 (did NOT assert paperback-only; some facilities/jails may restrict - recommend paperback as safer if in doubt). Inmate consent required to receive mail via institution mail services (DOC 309.04(2)(a)); else returned "refused." Vendor sites not prominent for WI; relied on WI Admin Code + 2024 used-book-ban reporting.

How to Send Books and Magazines to an Inmate in Wisconsin

A book is one of the best things you can put in the hands of someone you love inside a Wisconsin 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. Wisconsin's rules are clear once you know them, and there is one recent change that you need to be aware of before you order. 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 Rules That Matter Most in Wisconsin

There are a couple of rules to lock in before you order anything.

First, the book, magazine, or newspaper has to come directly from a publisher or another recognized commercial source. You cannot pack up a book at home and mail it in yourself. It has to ship straight from a seller to your person at the facility. The good news is that recognized commercial source is read broadly enough to include the major online booksellers, so your everyday way of buying a book works here.

Second, and this is the recent change to be aware of, Wisconsin now requires books to be new. In the fall of 2024, the state stopped allowing donated and used books, including those from the nonprofit book programs that used to send them, citing concerns about contraband hidden in used books. So even organizations that have sent books to Wisconsin prisoners for years can now only send new copies. For you, the practical rule is simple: send a new book, never a used one.

Put those two together and the path is clear: a new book, ordered from a publisher or a recognized commercial source, shipped directly to your person. Get that right and the rest is straightforward.

Using Amazon to Send a Book

Amazon is the easiest route for most families, and it works in Wisconsin because it counts as a recognized commercial source. The key, given the recent change, is to make sure you are sending a new copy.

The same approach works with any publisher's own website or another major bookseller, as long as the copy is new and ships directly to your person. Wisconsin's statewide rule does not impose a blanket paperback-only requirement, so a hardcover is generally workable, but individual facilities can be more particular, so if you have any doubt, a new paperback is the safe choice that travels well everywhere.

Magazines and Newspapers

Magazines are a great fit for Wisconsin, and they follow the same rule as books: they come directly from the publisher or a recognized commercial source. A subscription is the cleanest way to handle that, since it ships straight from the publisher by definition, and it is one of the most reliable, low-effort ways to keep your person reading. Once it is set, each issue arrives on its own and gives them something to look forward to without anyone having to act again.

What Can Get a Book or Magazine Rejected

Wisconsin reviews incoming publications, and most mainstream books and magazines pass without trouble. The content rules focus on safety. A publication can be rejected if it teaches or advocates violence or hatred in a way that presents a danger to security and order; if it teaches or advocates breaking the law or department rules; if it teaches or describes how to make or use weapons, explosives, drugs, or intoxicating substances; if it is considered injurious under the rules; or if it describes making devices that create a substantial danger of physical harm. Stick to mainstream titles and you will not run into these limits.

Here is where Wisconsin is notably protective of ideas. The department is not allowed to reject a publication just because it appeals to a particular ethnic, racial, or religious audience, or because of the political beliefs it expresses. In plain terms, a book is not banned for its viewpoint, its faith, or its politics, only for the narrow safety reasons above. That gives you wide latitude to send serious, challenging, and diverse reading.

The one content area to watch is nudity. Wisconsin can reject a publication that features nudity, meaning it shows nudity on a routine or regular basis or promotes itself on that basis. There is an important exception: the department will not reject a publication solely because it contains nudity that serves a genuine medical, educational, or anthropological purpose, so an anatomy text or a serious educational work is treated differently than a publication that exists to show nudity. If a title you are considering leans heavily on nude imagery, it is safer to choose something else.

If a publication is not delivered, Wisconsin notifies both your person and you as the sender, and your person can appeal the decision to the warden within ten days. So a rejection is explained and can be challenged rather than simply disappearing.

A Note on How Wisconsin Handles Mail

It helps to understand how mail flows in Wisconsin, because the state separates personal mail from publications. Wisconsin uses a contracted mail processing service for everyday personal mail, things like letters, cards, and photos, which are handled and often reproduced through that service. Publications are a different category and come directly from the publisher or commercial source to your person at the institution. The practical point for you is that a book or magazine order goes to your person at their facility from the seller, and you should always use your person's full committed name and DOC number so it can be matched to them. One more detail worth knowing is that Wisconsin requires an inmate to consent to receive mail through the institution's mail services; for someone already receiving mail normally this is not something you need to manage, but it explains why correct, complete addressing matters.

Lean on the Library

Here is something families overlook. Wisconsin 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 faster and at no cost than a shipped order. For a family watching every dollar, the library does the heavy lifting, and your money can go toward a magazine subscription and the occasional new 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 library and a directly shipped new book or magazine subscription for the titles they really want to keep, your person can read widely without large costs. We keep current pointers to programs and resources that serve Wisconsin on our Wisconsin 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. Wisconsin handles letters through its mail processing service, supports electronic messaging and phone calls, and offers visitation, and keeping up regular contact makes the books and magazines you send land in a fuller relationship rather than arriving cold. Remember that personal letters and publications travel different paths, with letters going through the processing service and books and magazines coming directly from the publisher or seller. Think of new publisher-direct books, a magazine subscription, and the free 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 Wisconsin, books, magazines, and newspapers must come directly from a publisher or a recognized commercial source like Amazon, and as of fall 2024 they must be new, since used and donated books are no longer accepted. Address everything with your person's full name and DOC number, and ship it directly to them at the facility. The statewide rule does not require paperback, though a new paperback is the safe universal choice. Magazines work beautifully as a publisher-direct subscription. Wisconsin protects religious, ethnic, and political content, so mainstream and even challenging titles get through; the main thing to avoid is publications that feature nudity, outside genuine medical or educational works. If a publication is held, you and your person are notified and your person can appeal to the warden within ten days. 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 mail a book to a Wisconsin inmate myself?** No. Books, magazines, and newspapers must come directly from a publisher or another recognized commercial source. You cannot pack and mail a book yourself. Order it and have the seller ship it directly to your person at the facility.

**Can I order from Amazon?** Yes. Amazon counts as a recognized commercial source in Wisconsin. The key is to order a new copy, not a used one, and have it shipped directly to your person at the facility with their full name and DOC number.

**Can I send a used book?** No. As of fall 2024, Wisconsin no longer accepts used or donated books, including from nonprofit book programs. Only new books sent directly from a publisher or recognized commercial source are allowed.

**Can I send a hardcover book?** Wisconsin's statewide rule does not impose a blanket paperback-only requirement, so a new hardcover is generally workable. Individual facilities can be more particular, so if you have any doubt, a new paperback is the safest choice.

**How do magazines work in Wisconsin?** A magazine subscription ordered directly from the publisher is allowed and is the cleanest option, since it ships straight from the source. Address it with your person's full name and DOC number at the facility. Newspapers work the same way.

**What kinds of content get rejected?** Narrow, safety-related material: publications that teach or advocate violence, hatred presenting a danger to security, law-breaking, or making weapons, explosives, or drugs. Wisconsin also restricts publications that feature nudity, except where the nudity serves a genuine medical, educational, or anthropological purpose. A book cannot be rejected just for its religious, ethnic, or political viewpoint.

**What happens if a publication is rejected?** Wisconsin notifies both your person and you as the sender, and your person can appeal the decision to the warden within ten days. So a rejection comes with an explanation and a path to challenge it.