You are here
Resources: Free Books Programs
PARC corresponds with and mails a directory of these resources to prisoners, their friends and family members. We are often the first point of contact for people to connect with prisoners' rights organizations, community organizations, prison literature and arts projects, family and visiting resources, health care and legal resources, parole and pre-release resources, and the prison abolition movement.
Download a PDF copy of the 2023 edition linked here.
| Resource | Category |
|---|---|
|
Alabama Books to Prisons Project Run through the Burdock Book Collective, this program fulfills book requests and manages a penpal program for people incarcerated in Alabama prisons. LGBTQA friendly: "As queers and allies ourselves, we aim to provide a space for personal expression and communication free from homophobia and transphobia." |
Books, Magazines, and Publishers, Free Books Programs |
|
Appalachian Prison Book Project The Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP) sends free books and provides educational opportunities to people incarcerated in the Appalachian region. We serve six states: Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. You can request by topic area or title, and we will do our best to find a good book for you. |
Books, Magazines, and Publishers, Free Books Programs |
|
Asheville Prison Books Sends free reading material to folks incarcerated in North Carolina and South Carolina, including county jails, detention centers, state prisons, and federal facilities. They do not have a catalogue, but try to match requests to books as best they can. Serves people in North Carolina and South Carolina only. |
Books, Magazines, and Publishers, Free Books Programs |
|
Athens Books to Prisoners Athens Books to Prisoners is a volunteer-run organization that sends free books to prisoners in Ohio only. |
Books, Magazines, and Publishers, Free Books Programs |
|
Big House Books A volunteer-run nonprofit sending books to inmates in Mississippi correctional facilities since 2015. Big House Books doesn’t judge a book by its cover. We believe in literacy for all – including those in our correctional facilities. Mississippi only.
|
Books, Magazines, and Publishers, Free Books Programs |
|
Books Behind Bars - New Jersey A grassroots, volunteer-run prison abolition project that provides free books upon request to people incarcerated in New Jersey prisons. Please include your name, ID number, facility name, address, and the kind of books you want. Since all of our books are donated, we can't guarantee exact titles (though we do our best). New Jersey only. |
Books, Magazines, and Publishers, Free Books Programs |
|
Books Behind Bars - Virginia Serves people incarcerated in Virginia only. Write with requests for up to three books per month. They will do their best to fulfill all requests, but cannot guarantee specific title availability. |
Books, Magazines, and Publishers, Free Books Programs |
|
Books Through Bars Free books across the Eastern Seaboard. Prisoners may request by topic (not exact title or author), and provide several areas of interest if possible. Sends to DE, MD, NJ, NY, PA & VA only. |
Books, Magazines, and Publishers, Free Books Programs |
|
Books to Prisoners (Seattle) Volunteer run, donation-based organization providing free reading materials to incarcerated individuals. Request by subject or genre. Does not ship to prisons that require all books sent be new. Write directly to request (does not accept requests by email or phone). Supported by partners Portland Books to Prisoners, Boots to Prisoners Olympia, and Books to Prisoners Spokane. Serves people nationwide. Long turn-around times mean BTP has difficulties serving people in short-term facilities.
|
Books, Magazines, and Publishers, Free Books Programs |
|
Books to Prisons Alabama Free book project covering Alabama and Texas. Write with general requests.
|
Books, Magazines, and Publishers, Free Books Programs |
|
Chicago Books to Women in Prison All-volunteer, not-for-profit organization that sends paperback books (including Spanish books) free of charge to women and trans people in prisons nationwide. They send three books in a package. Please provide at least six general options of genre or subject matter. Currently serves state prisons in Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi and Ohio, as well as all federal prisons. The only jail they serve is Cook County Jail. Libros en español también
Twitter: twitter.com/chicagobwp/ Instagram: instagram.com/chicagobwp/
|
Women's Organizations and Resources, Free Books Programs |
|
Connecticut Prison Book Connection CT Prison Book Connection is an all-volunteer run organization that sends free books to prisoners in CT, MA, RI, NH, VT, ME, as well as TX, CA, and any Federal facilities. All books are donated from various sources. Individuals may request books by subject/genre. Please request multiple topics of interest in order to get something desired. Books in different languages are provided but are on a first come first serve basis and are very limited in number. |
Books, Magazines, and Publishers, Free Books Programs |
|
DC Books to Prisoners Request reading material by mail. lease request by prioritized subject and not specific book title (we rely on donations), and list prison restrictions if known. DC Books to Prisons responds to state and federal prisoners in AK, AL, AR, CA, CO, DE, GA, HI, IA, ID, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NM, NV, OH, OK, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WV, and WY as well as federal prisoners (only) in AZ and requests from DC residents in federal prisons in all states. Please wait 5 months between requests. |
Books, Magazines, and Publishers, Free Books Programs |
|
Great Falls Books Through Bars All volunteer group that distributes books to contribute to the education, entertainment and support of incarcerated people. Will read requests and find the closest matches they can among their book collection. |
Books, Magazines, and Publishers, Free Books Programs |
|
Inside Books Project Sends free books and literature to prisoners in Texas only. Also sends a very informative prisoner resource guide free to prisoners in all states. Free or with donation of 2 loose first class stamps. Please no SASE. Serves people in Texas prisons only. |
Books, Magazines, and Publishers, Free Books Programs |
|
LGBT Books to Prisoners Volunteer-run organization that sends books and other educational materials, free of charge, to LGBT-identified people in prison across the US (except those in TX). Will send books in Spanish (enviar libros en Español). Sends one package of books per year. Prefers requests by topic/genre, but can occasionally fulfill specific requests. Serves all states except Texas. |
Books, Magazines, and Publishers, Free Books Programs |
|
Liberation Library The only organization that provides books of their choosing to youth in Illinois prisons. Volunteer-run. Write for a catalog of options. |
Books, Magazines, and Publishers, Free Books Programs |
|
Liberation Lit Abolitionist group of volunteers sending books to individuals incarcerated in Missouri and Kansas only. Also runs a small pen pal program. |
Books, Magazines, and Publishers, Free Books Programs |
|
Lopez Books Books to prisoners program serving Washington and Alaska only. Send with general requests by genre and/or topic. |
Books, Magazines, and Publishers, Free Books Programs |
|
Louisiana Books 2 Prisoners Sends books to people who are locked up in jails, prisons, and ICE facilities in Louisiana, Alabama, and Arkansas. Write in your book requests by topic or genre, or have a friend print the optional order form from our website and mail to you. Spanish resources available. No law books.
|
Books, Magazines, and Publishers, Free Books Programs |
|
Midwest Books to Prisoners All-volunteer collective that sends books, zines, and other reading materials to incarcerated people free of charge. Also available are printed legal resources and customized internet newsletter subscriptions: tell us what you're looking for. We focus on midwestern states but we answer all requests. We also send materials in Spanish / también enviamos materiales en español.
|
Books, Magazines, and Publishers, Free Books Programs |
|
Midwest Pages to Prisoners Project Midwest Pages to Prisoners provides free books and zines to prisoners in these ten Midwest states only: AR, IA, IN, KS, MN, MO, ND, NE, OK, & SD. In your letter, please tell us what type of reading material you are interested in—sharing subjects and genres of interest is most helpful. |
Books, Magazines, and Publishers, Free Books Programs |
|
Missouri Prison Books Program All volunteer organization that sends free books on request to incarcerated people in Missouri. |
Books, Magazines, and Publishers, Free Books Programs |
|
NYC Books Through Bars Has a large assortment of fiction and non-fiction, including political and history books, and other educational books. Does not send religious texts. Fills requests from all states except AL, FL, LA, MA, MI, MS, NC, PA, OH & WI, and has a priority for New York prisoners. |
Books, Magazines, and Publishers, Free Books Programs |
|
Open Books & the Prison Book Project The Prison Book Project sends free books to indigent prisoners in Florida prisons. Write with categories of books you would like. Serves people in Florida only. |
Books, Magazines, and Publishers, Free Books Programs |
|
Pittsburgh Prison Book Project All-volunteer non-profit organization that sends free educational books and quality reading material to people incarcerated in Pennsyvlania. pFormerly Book 'Em. Request books by subject/genre (they usually can't fill specific book requests by title). Pennsylvania only.
|
Books, Magazines, and Publishers, Free Books Programs |
|
Prison Book Program Sends free books and print resources to people in prisons and jails in all 50 states. Offers a free National Prisoner Resource List and a free legal primer (We The People). Three book shipments per person per year. Requests typically take 60-90 days to fill. Serves people nationally, with the exception of some individual facilities and state systems which do not permit free books or only permit books from Amazon, Hamilton, etc.
|
Books, Magazines, and Publishers, Free Books Programs |
|
Prison Books Collective Publishing and Distribution The Prison Books Collective Publishing and Distribution is a books-to-prisoners nonprofit based in Durham, NC, that sends books to prisoners in Alabama and North Carolina and maintains an extensive zine catalog available across the US. PBC sends books to incarcerated men in NC and incarcerated people of all genders in AL, sending literature into federal, state, and county facilities. (Women in NC should mail the NC Women's Prison Book Project.) PBC sends zines across the nation; our catalog, available online or by mail, includes radical essays, guides, games, and Words of Fire, our literary magazine of art and writing by incarcerated people, which is always accepting submissions. |
Books, Magazines, and Publishers, Free Books Programs |
|
Prison Library Project Our volunteer-led mission is to provide incarcerated individuals across the country with free reading resources, emphasizing educational and self-improvement literature.
|
Books, Magazines, and Publishers, Free Books Programs |
|
Prisoners Literature Project All-volunteer grassroots organization that sends free books to prisoners across the U.S. Please request types of books, not specific titles. They do not carry Christian books or legal texts. Please limit requests to once per year, and be patient while they try to find books to match your requests. Inform them of any book restrictions at your prison. PLP is one of PARC's partners - ask them for your next copy of the PARC directory! Serves people nationally except Texas (check out Inside Books Project instead!). |
Books, Magazines, and Publishers, Free Books Programs |