Prison Book Program is a safe source of books for any correctional facility. Our books are a mix of community donations and bulk purchases, and we use a well-supervised, communal process for fulfilling orders. 

As books come into PBP, they are thoroughly inspected by a well-trained team of sorters prior to being shelved in our library for distribution. Any book with an irregularity or damage such as torn or yellowed pages or water markings is discarded. We fulfill requests in the order in which they are received, and every order is handled by at least four people who check book selections for accuracy and quality. We have a rigorous process for checking the regulations of every prison to which we send books. Finally, the address labels we use on our book packages have three distinct security features that allow you and your staff to authenticate that the packages are from PBP and not a counterfeiter. A key explaining how to authenticate these labels can be provided to you upon request.

Given our process, there is no circumstance in which a specific book can be designated for receipt by a particular individual. Further, no money or anything of value is exchanged between PBP and people requesting books. Our books are free, so no financial incentive exists to introduce contraband.

Studies show that books and reading benefit inmate health, enhance institutional safety, and aid rehabilitation. We hear from our readers that when they have books to read, they are better able to manage their behavior; they enjoy better overall mental health; they experience less boredom, agitation, and despair; and they generally feel calmer and more focused. Books help them build positive social bonds with other people and books enable them to acquire new skills, reflect on their lives, and grow.

Click here for a generic flyer explaining our services. This flyer can be modified to suit the specific rules at your facility. We suggest posting these flyers in the housing units at your facility and in any library or educational spaces.

Unfortunately we cannot. PBP was established to serve incarcerated readers; not prisons. We hope that your facility will find the resources to invest in its own libraries  and obtain books for facility-led programs. PBP will, in limited instances, supply books to a facility, but only if we receive approval from the facility to implement our reader-driven model in that facility. Using this model, PBP responds to individual book requests submitted by incarcerated people, sending requested books directly to readers. Because our books can be kept by readers, the books are accessible during lockdowns and periods of library closure.

Yes. Studies show that reading improves inmate health, decreases incidents of self-harm and suicide, diminishes feelings of psychological distress, lowers heart rate and blood pressure, and reduces recidivism. Reading also stimulates critical thinking, the cognitive behavioral skill at the heart of many rehabilitative programs. Researchers have established that reading fiction, in particular, is associated with the development of empathy and the ability to shift perspectives, both of which are powerful protective factors against criminality and violence. 

Reach out to us here. Select “I work in a correctional facility” from the dropdown menu. A PBP staff member will follow up with you to answer your questions about our book fulfillment process and security protections and ensure that any book-related rules at your facility are correctly entered in our records.

If this occurs, we suggest you return the book in the original packaging, marked RTS or “Return to Sender.” The return will be at PBP’s expense. PBP will reach out to your mailroom to ensure that we understand the reason for the rejection and have a proper record of all book rules at your facility. PBP will try to replace the returned item with a more suitable one.

If this occurs, please do not return the books to PBP. Instead, consider adding the books to your facility’s library.

Return the book in the original packaging, marked RTS (return to sender). The return will be at PBP’s expense. We will re-send the package to the new facility.

Yes. PBP suggests that corrections officials:

• Permit all adults in their custody to request and receive paperbacks, hardcover books, and other print materials in new or used condition from any nonprofit organization in the United States, or from commercial book vendors, provided such vendors are approved by prison officials and sent via the U.S Postal Service.
• Require that the books and print materials be free of contraband, not detrimental to institutional security, and provided free of charge to incarcerated requestors.