Books to Prisoners Programs

PBP is one of many “Books to Prisoners” groups in the US, Canada and England. If you live near one of these, they would appreciate your books and your support!  

Some may be able to serve prisoners in states we do not serve.  The info on states served can change frequently. Please verify their service area before requesting books. 

United States

Alabama

Books to Prisons, Birmingham, AL
Serves: TX and AL
 

Arizona

Read Between The Bars, Tucson, AZ
Serves: AZ only

California

Books for Prisoners at UCSD, San Diego, CA
Serves: All US states EXCEPT MA

Pages and Time, Los Angeles, CA
Serves: Libraries at Wasco/Delano State Prisons and Chino Women’s Prison

Prison Library Project, Claremont, CA
Serves: All US states EXCEPT MA

Prisoners Literature Project, San Francisco, CA
Serves: All US states EXCEPT TX

UC Davis Books to Prisoners, Sacramento, CA
Serves: CA, FL, NY, OR, PA, TX

Colorado

Pages for Prisons, Boulder, CO
Serves: Colorado prison libraries only

District of Columbia

DC Books to Prisons Project, Washington, DC
Serves: federal prisoners in Arizona. DC residents in federal prisons. All other states EXCEPT CT, FL, IL, MA, ME, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OR, PA, RI, VT, WA, or WI.

Florida

Open Books Prison Book Project, Pensacola, FL
Serves: FL only

Georgia

X Books, Atlanta, GA
Serves: GA only

Illinois

Chicago Books to Women in Prison, Chicago, IL
Serves: women’s state prisons in AZ, AL, AR, CA, CT, FL, IL, IN, KY, MS, TN, VT, WA; all women in Federal prisons, and trans women being housed in men’s prisons everywhere.

Liberation Library, Chicago, IL
Serves youth in all Illinois youth prisons and select Illinois youth jails.

Midwest Books to Prisoners, Chicago, IL
Serves: Focus on midwest states, but answer all requests

Reading Reduces Recidivism, Carbondale
Supplies books directly to prison librarians in Illinois
 

Urbana-Champaign Books to Prisoners Project, Urbana, IL
Serves: Illinois only

Indiana

Midwest Pages to Prisoners Project, Bloomington, IN
Serves: AR, IA, IN, KS, ND, OK, and SD

Kentucky

Louisville Books to Prisoners, Louisville, KY
Serves: KY and VA

Louisiana

Louisiana Books 2 Prisoners, New Orleans, LA
Serves: AL, AR, LA. Women and LA prisoners are prioritized.

Massachusetts

Great Falls Books Through Bars, Greenfield, MA
Serves: priority is TX, CA; serves everywhere else EXCEPT AZ, CT, ID, IN, LA, MA, ME, MS, PA, WI, jails

Prison Book Program, Quincy, MA
Serves: All US states FEDERAL ONLY FOR CA, MI, and TX

Michigan

Unitarian Universalist Ann Arbor Prison Books, Ann Arbor, MI
Serves: Select MI institutions only

Minnesota

Women’s Prison Book Project, Minneapolis, MN
Serves: Cis and trans women

Mississippi

Big House Books, Jackson, MS
Serves: Mississippi only

Missouri

Liberation Lit, Kansas City, MO
Serves:  Unknown

Missouri Prison Books, St. Louis, MO
Serves: all Midwestern states

Nebraska

Serves: specific prisons in NE
 

New Jersey

Books Behind Bars, Wildwood, NJ
Serves: NJ only

New York

Buffalo Books Though Bars, Buffalo, NY
Serves:  NY and TX

Books Beyond Bars, New York, NY
Serves: NY only

Ithaca College Books Thru Bars, Ithaca, NY
Serves: NY

NYC Books Through Bars, New York, NY
Serves: All US states EXCEPT AL, FL, LA, MA, MI, MS, NC, OH, and PA with a priority on NY. 

Prison Books Project, Beacon, NY
Serves: NY

North Carolina

Asheville Prison Books Program, Asheville, NC
Serves: NC, SC

NC Women’s Prison Book Project, Durham, NC
Serves: women in NC

Prison Books Collective Publishing and Distribution, Carrboro, NC
Serves: AL, men in NC, Feds in AL, KY, MD, NC, TN, VA, and WV; zines to anywhere

Tranzmission Prison Project, Asheville, NC
Serves: LGBTQ prisoners nationwide

Ohio

Serves: Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Indiana

Athens Books to Prisoners, Athens, OH
Serves: OH

Redbird Books to Prisoners, Columbus, OH
Prioritizes OH

Oklahoma

OK Prison Books Collective, Tulsa, OK

Oregon

Portland Books to Prisoners, Portland, OR
Serves: All US states EXCEPT MA

Rogue Liberation Library, Ashland, OR
Serves: CA, NV, OR, TX state prisons and Fed prisons nationwide

Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh Prison Book Project (formerly Book ‘Em), Pittsburgh, PA
Serves: PA only

Books Through Bars, Philadelphia, PA
Serves: PA, NJ, NY, DE, MD, VA

Rhode Island

Providence Books Through Bars, Providence, RI
Serves: All US states EXCEPT AL, AR, FL, ID, IL, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MS, NC, NE, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, WA, or WI.

Tennessee

Tennessee Prison Books Project, Nashville, TN
Serves: TN only

Texas

Inside Books, Austin, TX
Serves: TX only, no county jails

Virginia

Books Behind Bars, Charlottesville, VA
Serves: VA only

Washington

Books to Prisoners, Seattle, WA
Serves: All US states

Books to Prisoners Olympia, Olympia, WA
Serves:  Only accepts requests from BtP Seattle.

Books to Prisoners Spokane, Spokane, WA
Serves:  Only accepts requests from BtP Seattle.

Lopez Island Books to Prisoners, Lopez Island, WA
Serves: WA and AK

West Virginia

Appalachian Prison Book Project, Morgantown, WV
Serves: KY, MD, OH, TN, VA, WV

Wisconsin

LGBT Books to PrisonersMadison, WI
Serves: LGBTQ prisoners in all states EXCEPT TX

Wisconsin Books to Prisoners, Madison, WI
Serves: WI only

US Virgin Islands

US Virgin Is /St Croix Prison Library Project, Christiansted, VI
Serves: St Croix only

CANADA

British Columbia 

Books 2 Prisoners, Vancouver, BC

Nova Scotia 

Books Beyond Bars, Halifax, NS
Serves: Women’s section of the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Burnside

Ontario

Books 2 Prisoners Ottawa, Ottawa, ON

Quebec

Open Door Books, Montreal, PQ

Prisoner Correspondence Project, Montreal, PQ
Serves: Queer & trans people in US and Canada

GREAT BRITAIN