AFSC Prison Watch Project - American Friends Service Committee Prison Watch Project has published the Fifth Edition of the Survivors Manual: Surviving in Solitary, by Bonnie Kerness, (June 2012, 94 pages), which is free to prisoners and $3 for all others. This book is a powerful collection of voices from solitary, as people currently or formerly held in isolation vividly describe their conditions and their daily lives. The collection also includes some stunning artwork and poetry.
AK Press - AK Press publishes and distributes a wide variety of radical literature and audio, many directly relating to prisoner and policing issues. Certain titles are written by prisoners themselves. Offers prisoners a 30% discount on any/all purchases. Distributes some Spanish language titles but do not have a Spanish language catalog.
Books Through Bars - Either the prisoner or their family or friends can send us a letter, through the regular mail, that includes name, prisoner ID number, full address, any institution restrictions on incoming books, and types of books wanted. We send books only to individual prisoners in DE, MD, NJ, NY, PA, VA, & WV. Please request by topic (not exact title or author), and provide several areas of interest if possible. Please wait a few months after receiving books before requesting again.
Books Through Bars - NYC - Specializes in political and history books, and also literary fiction and other educational books with a priority for New York prisoners. Does not send religious literature. Fills requests from all states except AL, FL, LA, MA, MI, MS, NC, PA, & OH. Donations of stamps are appreciated.
Books to Prisoners - Free books to prisoners nationwide. Request by subject, no religious or legal materials. Donations appreciated. Does not ship to prisons that require all books sent be new.
Chicago Books to Women in Prison - Chicago Books to Women in Prison (CBWP) is an all-volunteer collective that mails paperback books to people who are incarcerated in women's prisons in AZ, CA, CT, FL, IL, IN, KY, MO, & OH. CBWP is dedicated to offering women behind bars the opportunity for self-empowerment, education, and entertainment that reading provides. Incarcerated women send their requests for books directly to CBWP, which then gathers on Sunday afternoons to fill the requests.
Freebird Publishers - Freebird Publishers - Publisher of Inmate Shopper & More</a> - Freebird Publishers Publications include: Inmate Shopper - The largest most up to date prison publication, The Best 500 - A book of non profit pro and more.
Human Kindness Foundation - The Human Kindness Foundation's (HKF) Prison-Ashram Project sends free books to inmates all over the world, with most of their materials written by the late Bo Lozoff. HKF stresses a way of life based upon three common principles taught by the great sages of all religions: Simple living, a dedication to service, and a commitment to personal spiritual practice. Write for their newsletter and list of available books.
Internationalist Prison Books Collective - Volunteer collective that sends books to prisoners in Mississippi, Alabama, and parts of North Carolina. Has fiction as well as political and legal nonfiction. Also prints prisoners' art, writing, and news in a regular biannual publication.
Jailhouse Lawyers Handbook - The Jailhouse Lawyers Handbook, published jointly by the National Lawyers Guild and the Center for Constitutional Rights, explains how a prisoner can start a lawsuit in federal court to fight against mistreatment and bad conditions in prison. Because most prisoners are in state prisons, the authors focus on those. However, people in federal prisons and city or county jails will be able to use the Handbook also. To receive a paperbound copy, mail $2.00 in money order, check, or stamps to the above address. Please note that the Handbook is also available for free if downloaded from either of the below-listed websites by an outside source, printed out, and mailed in to the prisoner. List of chapter headings: (1) Introduction; (2) Your Legal Options; (3) Your Rights in Prison; (4) Structuring Your Lawsuit; (5) How to Start Your Lawsuit; (6) Legal System & Research; (7) The Legal System and Legal Research; and 12 appendices. https://jailhouselaw.org or https://ccrjustice.org/files/Report_JailHouseLawyersHandbook.pdf
Microcosm Publishing - Write for catalog. Offers 50% discount to prisoners on some titles. Stamps accepted for payment.
Midwest Books to Prisoners - Free books to Midwest prisoners.
Midwest Pages to Prisoners Project - The Midwest Pages to Prisoners Project is an all-volunteer effort that strives to encourage self-education among prisoners in the United States.
Pathfinder Press - Pathfinder Press carries books on the works of revolutionary and working class leaders, in English, Spanish, French, Farsi, Arabic, Swedish, Greek, Chinese, Russian, and Indonesian. Prisoners receive a 50% discount off the cover price. Only orders placed through their online website are accepted (orders received by mail or fax CANNOT be processed), with a flat rate of $2.75 for shipping and handling per order (one or more titles). Write for a free catalog.
PM Press - PM Press carries counter-culture, anti-prison, and similar titles including The Prison-Industrial Complex and the Global Economy, The Debt Resisters' Operations Manual, and Until the Rulers Obey. Prisoners receive a 50% discount. Write for a free catalog.
Prison Ashram Project - The Human Kindness Foundation's (HKF) Prison-Ashram Project sends free books to inmates all over the world, with most of their materials written by the late Bo Lozoff. HKF stresses a way of life based upon three common principles taught by the great sages of all religions: Simple living, a dedication to service, and a commitment to personal spiritual practice. Write for their newsletter and list of available books.
Prison Book Program - Offers a free 6-page "National Prisoner Resource List" and 40-page "We the People" legal primer, and a free resource list for LGBTQ prisoners. Does not send books or any other materials to any jails; or to any prisons in CA, IL, MI, NV, TX, and MD (except Jessup and Hagerstown), and certain individual prisons. Books may be delayed up to 4 to 6 months. Allows two book shipments per year. Does not send books to CA, MA, MD, MI, PA, KY, LA, NV or TX. Offers a free 6-page National Prisoner Resource List and 40-page "We the People" legal primer. Allows two book shipments per year. Takes 3 to 6 months.
Prison Book Project - Open Books is a non-profit, volunteer-run bookstore. Proceeds from the sale of books support the Prison Book Project, which sends thousands of books each year to indigent inmates in Florida prisons.
Prisoner Express - Sends books nationwide. Promotes rehabilitation by offering inmates information, education and the opportunity for creative self-expression in a public forum.
Prison Mindfulness Institute - Mission is to provide prisoners, and those who work with them, with the most effective contemplative tools for self-transformation and rehabilitation. Provides books and educational materials.
Read Between the Bars - Read Between the Bars is a grassroots collective in Tucson that originated in March 2007. We focus on getting free books directly into the hands of incarcerated women and men in the state of Arizona.
Women's Prison Book Project - Women's Prison Book Project (WPBP) provides women in prison with free reading materials covering a wide range of topics from law and education (dictionaries, GED, etc.) to fiction, politics, history, and women's health. Women prisoners only and no jail requests. WPBP also has a free resource guide for women and trans prisoners and a newsletter which publishes prisoner articles.
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