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Free Books Programs

FREE BOOKS PROGRAMSIMG_20200614_114717088_HDR

The organizations below have provided free books and magazines to the incarcerated.

Please be aware that many programs may have changed due to COVID-19, censorship or change in prison policy.

Fair Shake’s newsletter readers (all incarcerated) have verified these organizations.

If you find any of the organizations below no longer operating as stated, I hope you will let me know so I can update the list.

I hope you find some terrific books!  Happy reading ~ : )

FREE BOOKS PROGRAMS 2024

Prison CaptureBook Program

c/o Lucy Parsons Bookstore
1306 Hancock Street, Suite 100
Quincy, MA 02169

Prison Book Program has been sending free books to prisoners since 1972. Books are crucial to the political, spiritual, and educational development of all people.  We serve over 10,000 prisoners each year. We do not serve prisons in California, Texas, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, Texas or Maryland.

Please request books either using, or responding to, attached form.

https://prisonbookprogram.org/

They curate a Free Books to Prisoners list here: https://prisonbookprogram.org/prisonbooknetwork/

Prison Book Program’s National Resource List

Inside Books Project

IBP

Inside Books Project is an Austin-based community service volunteer organization that sends free books and educational materials to prisoners in Texas. Inside Books is the only books-to-prisoners program in Texas, where over 140,000 people are incarcerated. Inside Books Project works to promote reading, literacy, and education among incarcerated individuals and to educate the general public on issues of incarceration.

Inside Books Project Resource Guide

Inside Books Project sends this Resource Guide free of charge to any inmate in Texas. To request a Resource Guide, please send a request letter to the address below:

Inside Books Project
ATTN: Resource Guide
P.O. Box 301029
Austin TX  78703

https://insidebooksproject.org/

If you would like to DONATE gently used books to them, please find out how to do so here: https://insidebooksproject.org/donate-books

Wisconsin Books to Prisonersbtp

Wisconsin Books to Prisoners (WBTP) is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization whose mission is to foster a love of reading behind bars, encourage the pursuit of knowledge and self-empowerment, and break the cycle of recidivism. Will send books in Spanish (enviar libros en Español). They send books to prisoners in  Wisconsin only.

https://wisconsinbookstoprisoners.org/

Books to Prisonersbooks liberate
c/o Social Justice Center Incubator
1202 Williamson St #1

Madison, WI 53703

WI Books to Prisoners flyer for the incarcerated

WI Books to Prisoners flyer for the non-incarcerated

WI Books to Prisoners Reentry Guide

LBGT Books to Prisoners Project
1202 Williamson St.
Madison, WI, WI 53703

https://lgbtbookstoprisoners.org/
We are happy to send books to members of the LGBTQ+ community who are incarcerated in all states except TX.

California

Pages and Time – Los Angeles, CA
PO Box #66583
Los Angeles, CA 90066
Serves: Libraries at Wasco/Delano State Prisons and Chino Women’s Prison

Prison Library Project  Claremont, CA
586 West First Street
Claremont, CA 91711
http://www.claremontforum.org/prison-library-project/
Serves: All US states EXCEPT MA

Connecticut

Connecticut Prison Book Connection – Rocky Hill, CT
P.O. Box 946
Rocky Hill, CT 06067-0946
https://www.facebook.com/ctprisonbook

Serves CT

District of Columbia

DC Books to Prisons Project, Washington, DC
PO Box 34190
Washington, DC 20043
http://dcbookstoprisoners.org/
Serves: state and federal prisoners in 34 states, and federal prisoners in Arizona. With the exception of DC residents in federal prisons, we do not serve inmates in CT, FL, IL, MA, ME, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OR, PA, RI, VT, WA, or WI.

Florida

Open Books Prison Book Project, Pensacola, FL
1040 N. Guillemard St.
Pensacola, FL 32501
https://www.openbookspcola.org/
Serves: FL only

Illinois

Chicago Books to Women in Prison, Chicago, IL
c/o RFUMC
4511 N. Hermitage Ave.
Chicago, IL 60640
https://chicagobwp.org/
Serves: women and trans people in state prisons in Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi and Ohio, as well as all federal prisons.

Liberation Library – Chicago, IL
@ In These Times
2040 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
https://www.liberationlib.com/
Serves youth Illinois youth prisons and select jails

Urbana-Champaign Books to Prisoners Project – Urbana-Champaign, IL
UC Books to Prisoners
Box 515 Urbana IL 61803
http://www.books2prisoners.org/
Serves: Illinois

Indiana

Midwest Pages to Prisoners Project: Bloomington, IN
PO Box 1324
Bloomington, IN 47402
https://pagestoprisoners.org/
Serves: AR, IA, IN, KS, MN, MO, ND, NE, OK, and SD

Kentucky

Louisville Books to Prisoners – Louisville, KY
McQuixote Books & Coffee
Attn: Louisville Books to Prisoners
1512 Portland Ave #1
Louisville, KY 40203
http://louisvillebookstoprisoners.org/
Serves: KY and VA

Louisiana

Louisiana Books 2 Prisoners – New Orleans, LA
3157 Gentilly Blvd. #141
New Orleans, LA 70122
https://lab2p.org/
Serves: AL, AR, LA. Women and LA prisoners are prioritized.

Massachusetts

Great Falls Books Through Bars Greenfield, MA
PO Box 391
Greenfield, MA 01302
https://www.greatfallsbooksthroughbars.org/
Services US, except MA

Prison Book Program – Quincy, MA
c/o Lucy Parsons Bookstore
1306 Hancock Street, Suite 100
Quincy, MA 02169
https://prisonbookprogram.org/
Serves: All US states EXCEPT CA, IL, MI, MD, NV, and TX

Minnesota

Women’s Prison Book Project – Minneapolis, MN
3751 17th Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55407
https://wpbp.org/
Serves: All US states EXCEPT CT, FL, IL, IN, MA, MI, MS, OH, OR, and PA

Mississippi

Big House Books – Jackson, MS
PO Box 55586
Jackson, MS 39296
https://bighousebooksms.org/
Serves: Mississippi only

Missouri

Missouri Prison Books Program – St. Louis
438 N. Skinker Blvd
St. Louis, Missouri 63130
Missouri Prison Book Program
MO Serves: MO

New Jersey

Books Behind Bars – Wildwood, NJ
PO BOX 2611
Wildwood, New Jersey 08260
https://www.booksbehindbarsnj.com/
Serves: NJ only

Free Magazine Subscriptions

The Sun Magazine – an award-winning, ad-free magazine of interviews, essays, fiction, poetry, and photography. They offer  free subscriptions to incarcerated individuals. To request a free subscription write to: The Sun Customer-Service Dept.
P.O. Box 323
Congers, NY 10920

The Militant is a socialist newsweekly. Subscriptions for prisoners are: $6 for six months or $12 for a year. Prisoners without funds can get a free six-month subscription upon request. To get a subscription write to:  The Militant
306 W. 37th St. 13th Floor
New York, NY 10018

.

New York

NYC Books Through Bars – NY, NY
c/o Bluestockings Bookstore
116 Suffolk Street
New York, NY 10002
https://booksthroughbarsnyc.org/
Serves: All US states EXCEPT AL, FL, LA, MA, MI, MS, NC, OH, and PA with a priority on NY.

North Carolina

Asheville Prison Books Program -Asheville, NC
67 N. Lexington, Asheville, NC 28801
https://avlpb.org/
Serves: NC, SC

Prison Books Collective – Durham, NC
PO Box 625
Carrboro, NC 27510
https://prisonbooks.info/
Serves: men in  NC

Saxapahaw Prison Books – Saxapahaw, NC
347 S Main St
Burlington, NC 27215
https://saxapahawbooks2prisoners.wordpress.com/
Serves: prisoners in GA and NC

Tranzmission Prison Project – Asheville, NC
PO Box 1874
Asheville, NC 28802
http://www.tranzmissionprisonproject.org/
Serves: LGBTQ prisoners nationwide

Ohio

Athens Books to Prisoners – Athens, OH
30 1st Street
Athens, OH 45701
http://athensbookstoprisoners.weebly.com/
Serves OH

Oregon

Rogue Liberation Library -Ashland, OR
PO Box 524
Ashland, OR 97520
https://peacehouse.net/RLL/
Serves: OR, CA, ID, NV, TX

Pennsylvania

Book ‘Em – Pittsburgh, PA
PO BOX  71357
Pittsburgh PA 15213
https://bookempa.org/
Serves: PA only

Books Through Bars – Philadelphia, PA
4722 Baltimore Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19143
https://www.booksthroughbars.org/
Serves: PA, NJ, NY, DE, MD, VA, and WV

Rhode Island

Providence Books Through Bars – Providence, RI
42 Lenox Ave
Providence, RI 02907
https://provbtb.org/
Serves: All US states EXCEPT AL, AR, FL, IL, KY, LA, MA, ME, MS, NY, NC, OH, PA, SC, WA, WI

Tennessee

Tennessee Prison Books Project – Nashville, TN
P.O. Box 22846
901 Broadway
Nashville, TN 80202
https://tnprisonbooksproject.wordpress.com/
Serves: TN only

Texas

Inside Books – Austin, TX
P.O. Box 301029
Austin, Texas 78702
https://insidebooksproject.org/
Serves: TX only

Vermont

Vermont Books to Prisoners
PO Box 234
Plainfield, VT 05667
https://www.facebook.com/VT-Books-to-Prisoners-268181000703935/
Serves: New England states

Virginia

Books Behind Bars – Charlottesville, VA
Friends of the Jefferson-Madison Library
attn: Books Behind Bars
1500 Gordon Ave.
Charlottesville, VA 22903
https://booksbehindbars.info/
Serves: VA only

Washington

Books to Prisoners -Seattle, WA
92 Pike St. Box A
Seattle, WA, 98101
https://www.bookstoprisoners.net/
Serves: All US states EXCEPT CA and MA

Lopez Books – Lopez Island, WA
P.O. Box 327
Lopez Island, WA 98261
Serves: WA and AK only

West Virginia

Appalachian Prison Book Project – Morgantown, WV
PO Box 601
Morgantown, WV 26507
https://appalachianprisonbookproject.org/
Serves: KY, MD, OH, TN, VA, WV

Wisconsin

LGBT Books to Prisoners – Madison, WI
1202 Williamson St.
Madison, WI, WI 53703
https://lgbtbookstoprisoners.org/
Serves: LGBTQ prisoners in all states EXCEPT TX

Wisconsin Books to Prisoners – Madison, WI
c/o Social Justice Center Incubator
1202 Williamson St #1
Madison, WI 53703
https://www.wisconsinbookstoprisoners.org/
Serves: WI only