How to Send Books to Someone at St. Charles County DOC (Why Amazon Often Won't Work)

Regular personal mail at St. Charles County goes through a central processing facility (JailATM.com) instead of directly to the jail. Your letters get opened, scanned, and delivered electronically to the inmate. Books don't follow that path - and that's where people get tripped up.

St. Charles County DOC does allow books, but the rules are strict. Only soft-cover (paperback) books are permitted, and they must ship directly from an approved distributor: Barnes & Noble or Books-A-Million. This is why Amazon often won't work. The jail doesn't care about the title - they care about where it ships from. If a book comes from Amazon or any third-party seller (including marketplace sellers), it gets rejected. Stick to paperbacks ordered directly through Barnes & Noble or Books-A-Million so the shipment clearly comes from an approved source.

Since all personal mail goes through JailATM.com's central processing, it's easy to assume books should go there too. They shouldn't. That facility handles personal mail that gets scanned and delivered electronically - it doesn't accept books or larger packages. Send a book to the Olivette processing address and it won't reach your loved one. Books simply aren't processed there.

Books must go to the jail's physical address - not the JailATM.com central processing facility. When ordering from an approved distributor, make sure the shipping label includes the inmate's full name and inmate number so staff can match the package to the right person. For letters and other personal mail, use the JailATM.com address listed below. That format also shows how the inmate's name and number should appear.

• ✓ JailATM.com – St Charles County Corrections
• ✓ Inmate Name / Inmate Number
• ✓ 9506 Olive Blvd. MB# 213
• ✓ Olivette, MO 63132

Send a book the wrong way and it simply won't be accepted. The central JailATM.com processing facility doesn't take books or larger packages - sending one there is a dead end. Even if you send a book directly to the jail, the vendor rule still applies. St. Charles County DOC won't accept books from Amazon or any third-party seller. That's why families often feel like they did everything right and still get a rejection. The shipment source matters as much as the item itself.

• ✓ Confirm the book is a soft-cover (paperback)
• ✓ Order only from Barnes & Noble or Books-A-Million (shipped by the approved distributor)
• ✓ Address the shipment to the jail’s physical address (not the Olivette JailATM.com processing address)
• ✓ Include the inmate’s name and inmate number exactly as required