I just wanna encourage people to try to send used books or ask if they are accepted in their pp's prison. Cause even though I read from the other forum that my pp's prison would reject used books mine got to him just fine. And he's in the max security federal prison, so can't really get more tight than that, right :) So it's worth of trying and maybe saves a lot of money..
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@GardenGroove, Lewisburg is a maximum prison.
Good to know Celvin. Thanks for the update.
In FBOP you can receive use books as long as they're not hardcover books.
You can pay at Thriftbooks via Paypal, so then I think you can put your p.o.box in the senders (billing) address spot. Or, to make it easier on yourself, just change your address with your CC company to the p.o.box address, then you don't have to worry about it.
Do any of you know if Thriftbooks.com is like Amazon and will tell your penpal your address? I would like to be able to send books, but I am using a PO Box address for my penpals and I don't want them to get a packing slip with my home address on it.
^^ Lewisburg is most definitely a maximum security prison.
Brian - Is, by chance, Lewisburg a minimum security facility? If so, then: (3) At minimum security and low security institutions, an inmate may receive softcover publications (other than newspapers) [B][U]from any source[/U][/B].
I have mailed my Federal penpal used books several times before and never had and issue. The only rules for him are that they must be just books in the package, nothing else letters/cards/notes, only five at a time ( I am to assume this means that only sending 5 from the time I send them to him till he receives them, not 5 one day and 5 the next etc). I also have to write "approved reading material" above his name.
With another I can mail to his prison's library and he gets to check them out first.
Ask your pal what is allowed and what isn't, they should know best as well as what they may or may not want. One pal said no romance books they have enough of those.
This may sound overbearingly law abiding...but it was "going around the rules" that landed your pal in prison in the first place...:rollinglaugh:
And actually, the official rules do say That " At minimum security and low security institutions, an inmate may receive
softcover publications (other than newspapers) from any source. " So if a federal pal is in one of those low security prisons, you can legally mail them a book from a personal collection.
The 'official rules' I know... of books being sent only by a publisher, book club or bookstore. What I was wondering was going around those rules - most probably anonymously?
These are the regulations as set out by the BOP
http://www.bop.gov/policy/progstat/5266_011.pdf
@njsquarebear, I've only ever sent them via a vendor (Amazon or thriftbooks.com). Let us know what your pp says and if you do try it out.
Has anyone ever sent used paperback books - in good condition, no writing or yellow marker - to their PP in a [B]federal[/B] prison. My PP (Lewisburg) had said his father did this w/o problem. But I don't want to get into trouble or have him get into trouble. If so, did you send it with your name and mailing address... or did you create a 'fake' bookstore invoice and mailing label and a fictitious address. If so, did you send it first class, or media mail which is cheaper in the U.S.
I have all these used paperbacks (fiction/nonfiction) - none which would be considered problematic by the prison (I don't think) - and I figured why not let my guy read them and then donate them to the library there?
Advice? (I'm thinking about 'testing the waters' with one book, but thought I'd get some feedback first)
My fed pp told me about thriftbooks.com, all used books with free postage. Ive used them many times since.