How to Send Books to Inmates at Alachua County Jail, Florida

Ship Books and Magazines From Amazon Direct to the Alachua County Jail

Most jails in Florida 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 Alachua County Jail first.

Address the Shipment Correctly Using a Post Box

Florida Corrections will only accept book parcels at Alachua 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 Florida 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 Alachua 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

Florida 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:-

1. Depictions of nudity, obscenities, suggestive images, or other offensive materials.
2. Depictions of weapons, gang references, criminal activity, codes, or markings.
3. 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 Alachua 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 10 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 Alachua 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 Alachua County Jail mail room. Whilst they will accept books some jails and prison units cannot receive magazines on behalf of an inmate.