Would you like to send books to inmates at Maricopa County Jail? Books allow inmates to escape the endless hours of boredom. Help them fill that time with books to educate or books to entertain. Receiving books and magazines is so essential for those people who are in jail and it will become the highlight of their total day.
Stick To The Following Rules To Send Books to Inmates Successfully….
Ship Books and Magazines From Amazon Direct to the Maricopa County Jail
Most jails in Arizona won’t accept books from small local bookstores. Similarly they will not accept books sent from friends and family of the prisoner. You have got to ship books direct originating from a major national bookstore like Amazon.
We strongly recommend that you restrict your shopping for books to Amazon and more importantly that you only view books available for sale by Amazon themselves (other 3rd party merchants can also sell on Amazon.com) to make sure your books arrive correctly. Other online bookstores as well as many 3rd party sellers on Amazon.com are well-known to cancel orders to jails or to not pack them in line with prison requirements.
Don’t have the books shipped to yourself and then forward the books onto the Prison. Books must be shipped direct from Amazon to the Prison.
Only Ship New Books and Magazines
Prisons will only accept new books in brand new condition. There must be a delivery note attached to the package that clearly lists all the books included showing them as new books and listing their individual prices.
Many jails also have a size restriction if you decide to send larger books then seek advice from the mail room at Maricopa County Jail first.
Address the Shipment Correctly Using a Post Box
Arizona Corrections will only accept book parcels at Maricopa County Jail when they are delivered by USPS. Any parcels delivered by way of a courier facility like UPS or Fedex will most likely be rejected because they need to have a signature during delivery and no corrections officer will sign for any delivery on behalf of an inmate.
The parcel must also clearly identify the inmates name as well as their Arizona Corrections Inmate ID. The best way to <u>force Amazon to deliver by USPS</u> is to address the shipment to the Prison’s P.O Box if it has one.
Parcels should be addressed like this:
Inmate Name – Inmate ID
Facility Name
Facility Address (PO Box if possible)
City State ZIP
Do Not Ship Hardcover Books to Inmates
Not many jails accept hardcover books so unless you have a written confirmation direct from prison authorities at Maricopa County Jail or someone has confirmed in the comments section below that hardcover books are received for all inmates at this prison it is safest to always ship softcover books or magazines..
Make sure you avoid staples, cardboard, spiral binding as along with other items like bookmarks, etc
No Violent Themes or Nudity
Arizona Correctional authorities will typically reject any books with any form of nudity or any type of violent themes.
Whether you are sending fiction or non fiction steer clear of any books with the following:-
- Depictions of nudity, obscenities, suggestive images, or other offensive materials.
- Depictions of weapons, gang references, criminal activity, codes, or markings.
- Depictions containing writings, images or references that may incite violence, riot, racism.
There are Limits So Do Not Ship Too Often or Too Much
It is recommended to seek advice from the Maricopa County Jail mail room before sending a large quantity of books but as the general rule for shipping books to inmates is 1 parcel per month containing a maximum of 3 books.
If the prisoner receives over their limit any additional book shipments may very well be rejected. This will include any deliveries they’ve already received from other friends or relatives. Don’t forget to talk with the inmate to ensure that they haven’t yet already received their allowance already that month.
Remember to check if their are comments below to see if anyone has found how the rules for Maricopa County Jail are any different.
Check First Before Setting Up A Magazine Subscription
Although most jails allow you to setup a magazine subscription for delivery to a prisoner it is wise to check first with the Maricopa County Jail mail room. Whilst they will accept books some jails and prison units cannot receive magazines on behalf of an inmate.
Checklist for Sending Books and Magazines to Inmates:
- No hardcover books
- Send direct from Amazon to the Maricopa County Jail
- Always ship new books and magazines only
- Always address it to the Prison's PO Box if they have one
- No violent or nudity themes
- Stay within the Maricopa County Jail delivery limits
- Always check if an inmate can receive a magazine subscription
- If in any doubt call the Maricopa County Jail Mail Room
- Share your experiences below
- Go and find some books now!
We Highly Recommend You Purchase Books From...

this is all true. the jail will still reject books sometimes, even though it comes directly from amazon. that happens to me monthly. the best part is that amazon will reimburse you right away and then i resend the book. sometimes it takes 2 or 3 tries but he eventually receives them! also you can no longer send books directly to 4th ave jail. you must send it to lower buckeye and they forward it to your loved one. make sure you always include their P#.
…one more thing… at 4th ave they only allow them to have 3 books at a time. not 10. but we have not had ANY problem with him receiving a bunch of magazines.
Thanks for your sharing. We have updated the record for this prison to show your experiences of a maximum of 3.
I have been sending books since Oct 2012. However, 3 wks ago my son turned in his 3 paperbacks, but apparently someone neglected to put it into the computer.. Each time I have attempted to replace the 3 books he turned in, my Amazon delivery was rejected and returned to Amazon. Each time I waited until my son was told the computer error was corrected. Today the 3rd attempt was rejected. After the 2nd reject, I tried calling, stayed on hold for 63 minutes, told only my son could get this fixed. Apparently not. Now what?
please does anyone know if lower buckeye jail allow hardcover books??