Prisons will only accept new books from large well known book stores like Amazon.com.
Amazon is the world’s largest bookstore and they will ship to prisons but Amazon sends packages via US Mail, UPS and FedEx and you cant request a specific shipper
Naturally prisoners cant sign for packages when they arrive so it is important that all packages be sent using USPS. Packages requiring a signature will be refused and returned. For this reason it is important for Amazon to ship by USPS only.
How to Force Amazon to Ship by USPS
According to this page on Amazon:
If you also have a PO Box address, it’s best to use that address for your Amazon.com orders. All orders with “PO BOX” in the address are automatically shipped via U.S. Mail.
Top tips for shipping by USPS with Amazon
- Buy only from Amazon themselves and not the third party merchants who also sell on Amazon.com
- Find out the P.O Box for the prison. You can try contacting the mail room
- Always address your Amazon delivery using that P.O Box
- Enter the box number as “PO BOX” followed by the number
- Only ship new paperback books only.
- Limit your deliveries to no more than 10 items
- Do not ship more than one package a month or over 10 books.
The amazon page you link to does not include the statement you quote it as saying. I presume it has been edited by Amazon at some point after you last viewed it.
You might wish to update your post/article/
It seems the information you referred to has been moved to this URL
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=hp_left_sib?ie=UTF8&nodeId=201117330
Green Bay Correctional Institution will not accept books without a receipt. Amazon does not always include a receipt with their packages. I have sent some books that the prisoner received and some that have been returned to Amazon marked as “undeliverable.” I recently sent four books to an inmate that GBCI did NOT return to Amazon but would not give them to the inmate. The prison employee suggested that the inmate “donate” them to the prison library. That would be fine except the mail room employees sell the books on ebay or Craig’s list. Amazon needs to do a better job in mailing things correctly to prisons.
MS
If some books get through and some dont, I think you will find it is not the source of the books, but the books and their topics that has caused the censorship. If the shipping and the source remain the constant the only thing that changes is the books themselves.
Also, some prison have a requirement that they have a packing slip which is now not sent by default by Amazon. You have to select “send as a gift”:
Most prisons only accept a specific delivery company, while Amazon used everyone at random so that’s was a problem for me
Dear Mr. Bezos,
This correspondence is a request for your help and intervention to change Amazon shipping policy to provide a way to send AMAZON Books to Prison Inmates by U. S. MAIL.
I have a friend currently incarcerated in a Florida Prison for nonviolent crimes, who I have sent books purchased from Amazon that were returned because they were not shipped by U.S. MAIL.
The Florida Department of Corrections (DOC) policy only provides inmates to receive Books shipped from a publisher by Amazon ONLY by U. S. MAIL.
Any thing delivered by United Parcel Or FedX are REFUSED and returned.
This causes AMAZON waisted company time processing, shipping, accounting and refunds, a LOSS to customer and Amazon and anguish for customers who’s loved one languishes without any books to read that may help in their recovery.
I assume many prisons throughout the Country have the same policies.
Mr. Bezos would you please make a change in AMAZON’S shipping procedures to allow a customer to request and have Books shipped by the United States Postal Service.
On a humane note most Americans do not realize how difficult it is for family and friends of inmates to communicate or provide any assistance.
I only recently found how difficult it is made by Dept. Of Corrections policies that Restrict only allow families to use PHONE Service Providers and Clothing and Food Providers contracted by DOC.
These companies charge absorbent FEES and CHARGES usually requiring full payments or specified Limits of funds to maintain the services. For to many reasons to mention the Food Or clothing gets returned as non deliverable and months go by before Refunded.
I have no idea how poor or less educated family’s can even understand these policies that in my opinion are just Profit driven taking advantage to those frankly held captive in there control. Not denying or failing to recognize the crimes committed by these individuals but A System of historical recorded corruption that more often than not only contributes to recidivism.
Perhaps a AMAZON CEO’s simple change in a shipping policy will contribute greatly in getting books to inmates that may motivate and help the inmate return to society.
PS A Google search on any prison topics of FL DOC will verify my assertions.
If you create an account on the Barnes & Noble website, there’s actually a checkbox where you can specify if the person you’re shipping to can’t receive packages UPS!
I’ve been VERY frustrated with Amazon. I sent a an order through them, and even though I sent it with the longest shipping time possible, it was sent UPS and therefore rejected by the facility. I emailed their Customer Service, and they said they don’t have a way to specify shipping methods right now. If you loved one’s facility doesn’t have a PO box, you’re out of luck with Amazon. Ridiculous!
Look, I’m having an amazingly HARD TIME getting some magazines softcover books to my son in James T Vaughn Correctional Center