How to Send Books to Prisoners at Chickasaw County Jail, Iowa

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

Most prisons in Iowa will not accept books from small and local bookstores nor will they accept them from friends and family of the prisoner.  You have to ship direct from a major national bookstore like Amazon.

We highly recommend that you only shop for books on Amazon and most importantly that you only view books for sale by Amazon themselves (other third party merchants can also sell on Amazon.com) to ensure your books correctly.  Other online bookstores and even many third party sellers on Amazon.com are known to cancel orders to prisons or to not pack them according to prison requirements.

Do not have the books shipped to yourself and the forward the parcel 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 prisons also operate a size restriction so if you intend to send large books then check with the mail room at  Chickasaw County Jail first.

Address the Shipment Correctly Using a Post Box

Iowa Corrections will only accept book parcels at Chickasaw County Jail when they are delivered by USPS. Any parcels delivered by a courier facility like UPS or Fedex will normally be rejected as they require a signature during delivery and no corrections officer will sign for a delivery on behalf of a prisoner.

The parcel also needs to clearly identify the prisoners name and their Iowa 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

Very few prisons will accept hardcover books so unless you have a confirmation direct from prison authorities at Chickasaw County Jail or someone has confirmed in the comments section below that hardcover books can be received at this prison it is safest to always ship softcover books or magazines.

Be sure to avoid staples, cardboard, spiral binding  as well as additional items like bookmarks, etc

No Violence or Nudity

Iowa Correctional authorities will almost always reject any books with nudity or any sort 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

You should always check with the Chickasaw County Jail mail room before sending lots of books but the general rule for shipping books to inmates is one parcel per month containing no more than 10 books.

If the prisoner receives more than their limit any further book shipments may be rejected. This includes any deliveries they have received from other friends or relatives. Don’t forget to check with the prisoner to make sure that they have not already received their allowance already that month.

Don’t forget to read the comments below to see if anyone has found that the rules for Chickasaw County Jail are any different.

Check First Before Setting Up A Magazine Subscription

Although most prisons will allow you to setup a magazine subscription to be sent to a prisoner you should always check first with the Chickasaw County Jail mail room. Even though they will accept books some prisons and prison units cannot receive magazines on behalf of an inmate.