Insider’s Guide to Jailhouse Law
Twenty years after the 2004 publication of its landmark We the People Legal Primer, Prison Book Program is pleased to announce its brand new, free legal resource for incarcerated people, the Insider’s Guide to Jailhouse Law. The new guide provides a comprehensive and practical overview of the legal system, and it discusses important legal developments over the last two decades.
Click here to access the IGJL online.
The Insider’s Guide to Jailhouse Law may be freely reproduced, in whole or in part, and distributed in print or electronic form to incarcerated individuals by books-to-people-in-prison groups, family members, and friends.
Es un placer anunciar que Prison Book Program ha creado el nuevo recurso legal gratis para personas encarceradas, “Guía para reclusos sobre la ley penitenciaria” ahora disponible en Español. La nueva guia provee una descripcion general sobre el sistema legal Americano, y explica los ultimos desarrollos legales de las ultimas dos decadas.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Our Services for People in Prison
People in prison can write us a letter (via postal mail) and ask for books. The letter should include their name, address, and inmate ID number. It is best to request genres of books rather than specific titles. We also have an online book request form that can be used by family and friends.
We encourage readers to request genres instead of specific titles. The books in our inventory change on a daily basis. We cannot guarantee that we have a specific title in stock.
Prison Book Program now has an online book request form where you can request books on behalf of your loved one.
Currently, we serve most federal and state facilities in all 50 states. As of 2026, we do not serve local or state facilities in Texas, Michigan, or California.
Even if we serve your jurisdiction, there are always individual facilities that simply will not accept books from our program.
Most people say they heard about us through word of mouth. We also publicize our services through flyers and media.
All kinds of books. We find that with few exceptions, the reading interests of folks in prison mimic those of the general public. Dictionaries are our most popular request – by far. We send out thousands each year. Other popular titles include thesauri, small business startup, drawing, exercise, fiction of all kinds, religion and much more.
People in prison use them for various reasons – writing letters to family, writing legal appeals, or just trying to understand unfamiliar words in the other books we send. Many people enter prison with limited reading skills and use their time to change that. Frustrated by his inability to express himself, Malcolm X famously educated himself by copying every word in the dictionary and then using his expanded vocabulary to read most of the books in the library at MCI-Norfolk, where he was incarcerated from 1948-1952.
Our selection of books changes on a daily basis, but we have a selection of over 60 nonfiction categories and nearly 30 fiction genres. We always have dictionaries, thesauri, and GED/HiSET study guides.
In addition, PBP publishes The Insider’s Guide to Jailhouse Law and the National Prisoner Resource List to help people in prison. Both titles are available in English and Spanish.
Most books are donated by individuals just like you. Occasionally, publishers and authors donate extra copies of their books. Many generous people donate new books through our online wish lists or by donating money to help supplement our modest book budget. In addition, many friends of public libraries donate books from their regular book sales.
No, due to prison security restrictions you cannot provide it. But you can request a book on behalf of a loved one inside, but you cannot provide it. All book requests are fulfilled from PBP’s own inventory.
