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"Thank You Ladies"
You may send in books to your inmate!
Books must be sent in directly from a book distributor. THEY MUST BE PAPERBACK BOOKS!
Most inmate in the general population yards can receive up to 10 books at a time, as often as they like. VSPW Receiving Yard only allows up to 5 books at a time. Check with your inmate to see what rules apply to her.
Most families use Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble, which are both reliable book vendors. If you are having a book sent in from a college or some other non-traditional book distributor, please check with the prison first. You can call them at 559-665-6100 to get information.
VSPW currently has a list of "Approved Book Vendors". The following Vendors are included: Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, Borders Books, Walden's Books, Prison Library Project, and Arise Books - Women's Prison Book Project.
Book shipments are NOT considered Quarterly Packages or Special Purchases. There is no limit per quarter on book shipments; the only restriction is that inmates may have no more than 10 books in their possession at any one time. If your inmate can read 10 books a week, then you may send in 10 books a week! Of course, R&R may be backed up, and she may not get them every week.....so be careful about getting backed up!!
When you send in a box of books from a distributor, it comes into the mailroom. The mailroom staff sort all the different packages out, and send them to the various departments. Books go to R&R and are logged in there. They go through R&R because books are considered 'personal property'. The inmate will receive a 'ducat' to go to R&R, where she will be able to pick up the books and trade in her old ones. This process may take some time. Whenever the mail gets backed up, R&R also tends to get backed up. This is especially true during holidays, lockdowns, etc.
Most inmate in the general population yards can receive up to 10 books at a time, as often as they like. VSPW Receiving Yard only allows up to 5 books at a time. Check with your inmate to see what rules apply to her.
Most families use Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble, which are both reliable book vendors. If you are having a book sent in from a college or some other non-traditional book distributor, please check with the prison first. You can call them at 559-665-6100 to get information.
VSPW currently has a list of "Approved Book Vendors". The following Vendors are included: Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, Borders Books, Walden's Books, Prison Library Project, and Arise Books - Women's Prison Book Project.
Book shipments are NOT considered Quarterly Packages or Special Purchases. There is no limit per quarter on book shipments; the only restriction is that inmates may have no more than 10 books in their possession at any one time. If your inmate can read 10 books a week, then you may send in 10 books a week! Of course, R&R may be backed up, and she may not get them every week.....so be careful about getting backed up!!
When you send in a box of books from a distributor, it comes into the mailroom. The mailroom staff sort all the different packages out, and send them to the various departments. Books go to R&R and are logged in there. They go through R&R because books are considered 'personal property'. The inmate will receive a 'ducat' to go to R&R, where she will be able to pick up the books and trade in her old ones. This process may take some time. Whenever the mail gets backed up, R&R also tends to get backed up. This is especially true during holidays, lockdowns, etc.
Street Address for shipping books:
Valley State Prison For Women
21633 Avenue 24 (PO Box 92)
Chowchilla, CA 93610
21633 Avenue 24 (PO Box 92)
Chowchilla, CA 93610
IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER:
Don't forget to add your inmate's NAME, CDCR number and Housing Unit Number to the address!!
Paperbacks only!
No more than 10 at a time, or 5 on the Receiving Yard.
Must be shipped by a recognized distributor or publisher. Do NOT mail them from home.
ONLY "Allowed Vendors": Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders Books, Walden's Books, Prison Library Project, Arise Books-Women's Prison Book Project
Inmates may have only 10 books in their possession. When they receive new books, they must turn in their old ones. These old books must be donated or sent home at the inmate's expense. Most women donate their books to the library, etc.
Remember, if you send in bibles and your inmate gives them away, she may have trouble receiving more books in the future. Please check with the chaplain's office at VSPW if you are interested in donating bibles.
School textbooks and coursework texts are sent in under different rules. Please check with the Education Department if you have questions about sending in coursework materials. We will have more information on this page in the future regarding educational materials.
DONATING BOOKS TO THE PRISON
You may donate books directly to the prison. You need to get a donation form from the Administrative Offices, fill it out, and submit it for approval before sending books. The Warden will sign the donation form and return it to you. Send the books to VSPW with the signed donation form attached. You should send the books via UPS or USPS to VSPW at 21633 Avenue 24, Chowchilla, CA 93610, attention: Librarian. Check with the Administrative Office at 559-665-6100, extension 6002, to have them send you a donation form.
Donated books can be used or hardback. This is nice, as it gives us a chance to donate some books that the women may not otherwise be able to read.
The IFC and other organizations also do regular book drives. You may want to send your donations to one of our members. If you are interested, please contact Nancy, our webmaster,at: lonemtn@snowcrest.net
Don't forget to add your inmate's NAME, CDCR number and Housing Unit Number to the address!!
Paperbacks only!No more than 10 at a time, or 5 on the Receiving Yard.Must be shipped by a recognized distributor or publisher. Do NOT mail them from home.ONLY "Allowed Vendors": Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders Books, Walden's Books, Prison Library Project, Arise Books-Women's Prison Book ProjectInmates may have only 10 books in their possession. When they receive new books, they must turn in their old ones. These old books must be donated or sent home at the inmate's expense. Most women donate their books to the library, etc.
Remember, if you send in bibles and your inmate gives them away, she may have trouble receiving more books in the future. Please check with the chaplain's office at VSPW if you are interested in donating bibles.
School textbooks and coursework texts are sent in under different rules. Please check with the Education Department if you have questions about sending in coursework materials. We will have more information on this page in the future regarding educational materials.
DONATING BOOKS TO THE PRISON
You may donate books directly to the prison. You need to get a donation form from the Administrative Offices, fill it out, and submit it for approval before sending books. The Warden will sign the donation form and return it to you. Send the books to VSPW with the signed donation form attached. You should send the books via UPS or USPS to VSPW at 21633 Avenue 24, Chowchilla, CA 93610, attention: Librarian. Check with the Administrative Office at 559-665-6100, extension 6002, to have them send you a donation form.
Donated books can be used or hardback. This is nice, as it gives us a chance to donate some books that the women may not otherwise be able to read.
The IFC and other organizations also do regular book drives. You may want to send your donations to one of our members. If you are interested, please contact Nancy, our webmaster,at: lonemtn@snowcrest.net
Things change! This information has been updated on 01/07/08. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Nancy for current information.
Information About Amazon.com Shipping
The information below comes from the Amazon site regarding shipping to penitentiaries. Amazon's shipping directions make it sound like delivery may be a problem. Don't worry -- just remember to squeeze your inmate's name, CDCR number and housing unit designation somewhere on the label, and it will get to her.
5. Do not enter shipping or delivery instructions in any of the address fields. In order to ship your items in a timely fashion, Amazon.com and its Merchants and Marketplace sellers use a variety of carriers, and we're unable to accommodate requests for specific shippers. VSPW receives deliveries from all the major shippers, including UPS and USPS. Book shipments are accepted in the Mailroom, which forwards the books on over to R&R.
Shipping to Prisons
Amazon.com delivers to penitentiaries, but we strongly suggest you contact the prison first to confirm that they accept deliveries and to note any special regulations the prison might have. Some prisons don't allow delivery of hardcover books. Others place a limit on the number of items contained in a package. VSPW does not allow hardcovered books, and the limit is 10 books at a time (or 5 in Receiving). If you want to check on book mailing requirements, you can call the prison mailroom at 559-665-6100, extension 5825. They want you to be able to do it right -- it saves everyone time and worry.
Because inmates cannot sign for deliveries, packages must be sent via U.S. Mail. While Amazon.com often sends packages via U.S. Mail, we also use UPS, FedEx, and Airborne Express. Unfortunately, there is no way for customers to request a specific shipper. To avoid delivery problems, you might consider having the items shipped to you and then shipping them to the penitentiary via U.S. Mail. Do NOT try and send books from home. VSPW will ONLY accept deliveries from approved publishers. VSPW DOES accept deliveries from all of the above-mentioned carriers. The Mailroom can sign for the boxes, if this is required. This information about requiring a signer for the box is NOT TRUE for VSPW. Do not let this stop you from ordering books and having them shipped to VSPW.
5. Do not enter shipping or delivery instructions in any of the address fields. In order to ship your items in a timely fashion, Amazon.com and its Merchants and Marketplace sellers use a variety of carriers, and we're unable to accommodate requests for specific shippers. VSPW receives deliveries from all the major shippers, including UPS and USPS. Book shipments are accepted in the Mailroom, which forwards the books on over to R&R.
Shipping to Prisons
Amazon.com delivers to penitentiaries, but we strongly suggest you contact the prison first to confirm that they accept deliveries and to note any special regulations the prison might have. Some prisons don't allow delivery of hardcover books. Others place a limit on the number of items contained in a package. VSPW does not allow hardcovered books, and the limit is 10 books at a time (or 5 in Receiving). If you want to check on book mailing requirements, you can call the prison mailroom at 559-665-6100, extension 5825. They want you to be able to do it right -- it saves everyone time and worry.
Because inmates cannot sign for deliveries, packages must be sent via U.S. Mail. While Amazon.com often sends packages via U.S. Mail, we also use UPS, FedEx, and Airborne Express. Unfortunately, there is no way for customers to request a specific shipper. To avoid delivery problems, you might consider having the items shipped to you and then shipping them to the penitentiary via U.S. Mail. Do NOT try and send books from home. VSPW will ONLY accept deliveries from approved publishers. VSPW DOES accept deliveries from all of the above-mentioned carriers. The Mailroom can sign for the boxes, if this is required. This information about requiring a signer for the box is NOT TRUE for VSPW. Do not let this stop you from ordering books and having them shipped to VSPW.
