Sending Books and Religious Materials to Someone at Gaston Correctional Center: What Works and What Doesn't
Getting books or faith-based materials to someone at Gaston Correctional Center is straightforward—if you use the right channel. The biggest mistakes? Sending publications the wrong way, or tucking religious course materials into a regular letter.
Want to send books, magazines, or other publications? Order through the publisher or an online retailer and have it shipped directly to the prison's street address. Don't route publications through TextBehind - they need to arrive as shipments from the seller, not bundled with scanned mail.
Heads up: Don’t ship publications through TextBehind. Packages sent that way are returned - use the publisher/retailer shipping option to the prison street address instead.
Religious correspondence courses follow different rules than everyday mail. You can't slip course materials or texts into a standard letter - do that, and the letter comes back unless the course was pre-approved. If you're supporting someone's faith practice or study, get approval first. That's the only way materials reach them through the correct channel inside the facility.
- Get the course approved first - without pre-approval, course materials and texts sent in a letter can be returned.
- The mailroom searches and inspects the materials - approved study or correspondence courses are checked when they arrive.
- Materials go to the chaplain/religious staff - after inspection, the mailroom gives the items to the facility chaplain, religious coordinator, or designated staff.
- Staff personally distribute to your loved one - the chaplain/religious staff handle prompt, personal distribution to the offender.
Remember: Religious correspondence course materials need pre-approval, and approved items are handled through a chaplain/religious staff distribution process - not slipped into regular letters.
Thinking about sending a package through TextBehind? Don't. TextBehind returns all packages to the sender. For the right way to send packages to someone at Gaston Correctional Center, contact the facility directly for their package-sending procedures.
- ✓ Packages sent through TextBehind (they’re returned to the sender)
- ✓ Religious correspondence course materials or texts included in a regular letter (returned unless pre-approved)
- ✓ Books or other publications shipped through TextBehind (use the publisher/online retailer shipment to the prison street address instead)
Practical Tips
- ✓ Confirm you’re using the prison’s street address for retailer/publisher shipments of publications
- ✓ Don’t use TextBehind to ship books, magazines, or newspapers
- ✓ Don’t include religious correspondence course materials or texts inside a regular letter unless the course is pre-approved
- ✓ If you need to send a package, contact Gaston Correctional Center to ask what package-sending methods are accepted (TextBehind returns all packages)
Quick reminder: Publications should be ordered from the publisher or an online retailer and shipped to the prison’s street address - TextBehind returns packages and isn’t the right channel for books.
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