What Books and Magazines Can You Send to FCI Morgantown?
Sending reading material to someone at FCI Morgantown is doable—but where it ships from matters just as much as what you pick.
FCI Morgantown is a medium-security BOP facility, and that security level shapes what counts as an acceptable publication shipment. Hardcover books and newspapers must come directly from the publisher, an established book club, or a bookstore. The same source rule applies to softcover items. Paperbacks, magazine issues, newspaper clippings - all need to ship straight from an approved source to be eligible for delivery. What does this mean in practice? Don't mail a used paperback from your house or drop a magazine in an envelope yourself. Even if the content is fine, the wrong source can get it turned away.
Tip: When you order, make sure the item ships directly from the publisher, a book club, or a bookstore. That “direct from source” rule applies to hardcovers, newspapers, and softcover items like paperbacks and magazines at FCI Morgantown.
Even when a book or magazine ships from an approved source, content limits apply. Federal law prohibits distributing commercially published material to prisoners when that material is sexually explicit or features nudity. This isn't a facility preference - it's a hard stop. Publications flagged under this restriction won't be delivered, period.
Heads up: Avoid ordering commercially published publications with nudity or sexually explicit content - those items can’t be distributed to inmates under the statutory restriction.
Receiving books and magazines isn't automatic. A publication can be rejected if staff consider it detrimental to the security, discipline, or good order of the institution. Keep that standard in mind when choosing what to send. If a specific title or issue crosses that line, it won't reach your loved one.
- Choose the publication carefully - Stick to commercial publications that won’t raise security, discipline, or good-order concerns.
- Expect screening - Incoming publications are reviewed to make sure they meet BOP standards.
- Plan for a “not delivered” outcome - If a publication is deemed detrimental to the security, discipline, or good order of the institution, it can be rejected.
Books and magazines fall under publication rules - that's why the "ship from the publisher/book club/bookstore" requirement matters so much. Packages from home are a different story entirely. At FCI Morgantown, inmates cannot receive packages from home without prior written approval from the inmate's unit team or another authorized staff member. If what you're sending counts as a "package from home" rather than a publication shipment from an approved source, get that approval first.
- ✓ Get prior written approval from the inmate’s unit team or an authorized staff member before you send any package from home.
- ✓ Treat “books/magazines ordered from an approved seller” differently from “a package you mail yourself” - the rules aren’t the same.
- ✓ If you don’t have written approval, don’t send a home package.
Inmates can subscribe to or receive commercial publications without prior approval - as long as the content isn't considered detrimental to security, discipline, or good order. That's why subscriptions and direct-to-facility shipments are usually the smoothest route. When the content and source meet the rules, there's no extra permission step.
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