September 13, 2026
I’ve written before on this blog about the various obstacles that the Department of Corrections puts in the way of people who are attempting to help loved ones who are currently incarcerated. The rules of the prison system seem almost Kafkaesque at times. I assume the directives have some reasonable basis, but often I’m not sure about that. Let me give you recent example of what I mean.
A young woman who is important to me wants me to send her a book. This woman is doing time at the Milwaukee Women’s Correctional Center. The facility is minimum-security, so it is a bit more laid back than her previous residence. However, it is still a prison, and it has its own peculiar set of regulations. One might think that sending a book to an inmate would be a relatively simple affair.
It is not.
Several months ago, I tried to send three books to friend of mine who is in prison. I bought them through Barnes and Noble. The DOC refused to give the man the books. It was not clear to me why they wouldn’t let him have them, but I decided not to try sending books anymore. Then, just recently, the young woman I know asked that I send her a copy of A Dog’s Promise by Cameron W. Bruce. I’ve never read it, but it is apparently an uplifting story of a dog. The young woman alerted me to the fact that the book has to be accompanied by a receipt. With that in mind, I tried to order the book for her.
I started by using Barnes and Noble again. That was a frustrating experience. That bookseller has changed its website in such a way that it is nearly impossible to speak with a human. I needed to find out how to get receipt delivered with the book, and I could get no answer.
I looked up the name of the publisher of the book. I called up that company, and I actually got a person to answer the phone. I explained my dilemma to customer service rep. In response, I got a long,
“Hmmmmmmmm…”.
I waited a moment and said, “I didn’t mean to stump you. I’m just trying to send a book.”
The man replies, “Oh, it’s not that. We send books to prisons frequently. It’s just that I have never heard about a requirement for a receipt. We seldom send out paper receipts anymore. The problem is that the sales department, the people who would make out a receipt, and the shipping department are in different locations.”
“So, what do I do?”
“Let me do some research on the actual rules. Give me the woman’s physical location and give me some contact information for you, so I can get back to you when I know something.”
I found his words encouraging. The next morning, he emailed me and said that he had looked at the DOC’s regulations, and he couldn’t make heads or tails of them. That is a common experience for people trying to send anything to inmates. The rules said almost nothing about shipping books. There are in fact rules for books, but they don’t seem to be available online. He asked me to call somebody at the prison. I did.
I talked to the sergeant at the prison who is in charge of property. Her job largely consists of making sure that no contraband is smuggled into the facility. I understand that concern. I have heard stories of people sneaking drugs and other things into prisons in surprisingly creative ways. The sergeant gave me a clear list of what has to happen for a book to get inside. They are as follows:
I cannot buy a book and ship it to the young woman.
The book has to be brand new.
It can be hard cover or paperback (no leather covers. no spiral binding).
The inmate’s full name and her DOC inmate number have to be on address label of the package.
The book has to come directly from a legitimate publisher, and the sergeant will check to see if the company is a real thing.
The book HAS TO come with a RECEIPT showing the name of the publisher, the price of the book, and the title of the book.
I told the customer service rep all about this list. He replied,
“Let’s see what we can do.”
As of this moment, I don’t know if I can purchase the book and get it to the young woman. The rep has informed me that right now the shipping department is crazy busy with textbook shipments going out. It might take a while. However, this guy at the publishing house seems to have accepted this order as a personal challenge. I informed him that if he can get the book to the inmate, I will buy all books through him. He will be my go-to guy.
Does it have to be like this? Maybe not, but it is, and I have to deal with it.
