Resources: Free Books Programs

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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

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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.

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.

Abolitionist group of volunteers sending books to individuals incarcerated in Missouri and Kansas only.  Also runs a small pen pal program.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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!).