Sending Books and Magazines to Someone at CFCF: The third‑party seller rule

CFCF requires that books, magazines, and newspapers ship directly from third-party sellers. You can't mail in a book from home or drop one off yourself. Ordering through a vendor is the only way to meet the facility's rules and give your shipment the best shot at getting accepted.

Acceptable Vendors and Formats

• ✓ Amazon
• ✓ Barnes & Noble
• ✓ Philadelphia Inquirer

When placing your order, make sure the shipping label includes the person's full name and their incarcerated person ID number (PPN). CFCF requires the PPN on all mail. Missing it can delay delivery or prevent the item from reaching them at all.

Set the delivery address to CFCF's street address: 7901 State Rd., Philadelphia, PA 19136. Pairing the correct address with the person's name and PPN helps the mailroom route items properly.

CFCF does not allow packages of any kind to be sent to incarcerated people. If you were hoping to send a bundle of items along with reading material, that won't work here.

For reading material, the workaround is the vendor-only rule. Order the book, magazine, or newspaper through a third-party seller so it ships directly to CFCF. Acceptable vendors include Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and the Philadelphia Inquirer.

1. Save your order details - keep the order confirmation, tracking info, and exactly how you entered the recipient name and PPN.
2. Double-check the label information - confirm the shipment shows the incarcerated person’s name and ID (PPN), since CFCF requires the ID number on mail.
3. Follow up with the vendor and the facility - the vendor can confirm what was shipped, and CFCF can help answer general delivery questions.