Texas Just Made It Nearly Impossible to Send Books to Its Prisoners — Here's What That Means for the PLP
For more than fifty years, the Prison Library Project has been answering letters from incarcerated people asking for books. Over the decades, thousands of those letters have come from Texas — from people in one of the largest prison systems in the world, reaching out for something to read, something to learn, something to hold onto.
As of April 1, 2026, that's become dramatically harder. And if the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) has its way, it may soon become impossible.
What the New Policy Does
The TDCJ has implemented a sweeping set of new restrictions on books sent to incarcerated people. Under the new rules:
Hardcover books are banned entirely
All books must be in "like new" condition
Organizations sending books must register every title sent to every individual prisoner through an online portal
Each of these restrictions creates a serious obstacle on its own. Together, they effectively shut the door on grassroots books-to-prisoners programs.
Many essential textbooks — the kind people use to study for the GED, learn a trade, or pursue education while incarcerated — only exist in hardcover. "Like new" is a vague standard that can be applied selectively and arbitrarily, giving officials wide latitude to reject books for reasons that have nothing to do with their condition. And the registration portal would bury small volunteer organizations in data entry, making the simple act of answering a letter and mailing a book a bureaucratic undertaking that few programs could sustain.
The Justification Doesn't Hold Up
The TDCJ says these restrictions are necessary to address drug overdose deaths in Texas prisons. They've pointed to the possibility of books with drug-soaked pages as a vector for contraband — without providing any documentation of how often, or whether, this actually occurs.
Meanwhile, the Texas state legislature has already accepted findings from a study showing that most illicit drugs in Texas prisons are brought in by corrections officers — not through the mail, and not in books. Texas House Bill HB3464, passed in September 2025, includes that official finding.
The statistics tell a sobering story. According to the Texas Justice Initiative, overdoses accounted for just 2% of in-custody deaths in Texas over the past twenty years. Homicide and suicide, by contrast, accounted for 13% and 11% respectively. Books don't cause overdoses. And they do something that no security policy can replicate: they give people a reason to keep going.
What This Means for the PLP
The Prison Library Project has received thousands of letters from Texas inmates over the course of our history. People write to us because they want to learn, because they're lonely, because they're trying to better themselves, because a book is one of the few things that can reach them where they are. We've always done our best to answer every letter.
Under these new rules, we can't do that the way we used to. We can no longer send the donated used books that form the heart of our collection. We can no longer send hardcovers. And we would be required to register each book individually through a portal that doesn't yet function the way it's supposed to.
We're adapting. We're developing a curated catalog of affordable new paperback titles that we can offer to Texas readers within the new rules. But we want to be honest: it's a workaround, not a solution. It reaches fewer people with fewer choices, and it costs more to operate. The real solution is for the TDCJ to reverse this policy.
This Isn't Just About Texas
Policies like this don't stay in one state. When a large system like TDCJ adopts new restrictions, other states watch. The books-to-prisoners movement — a network of mostly small, volunteer-run programs that collectively serve hundreds of thousands of incarcerated people — depends on being able to operate with reasonable access. Restrictions like these threaten that access everywhere.
We've been doing this work since 1972. We've seen policies come and go, and we've always found ways to keep books moving. But this moment calls for something more than adaptation. It calls for people to speak up.
You Can Help — It Takes About Five Minutes
The Texas Board of Criminal Justice (TBCJ) is a nine-member, politically appointed body with the power to set policy for the entire TDCJ. They need to hear from people who believe that access to books is a basic human concern — not a security threat.
The board's general number is (512) 475-3250. You can also reach Eric Nichols, the board chair, at his law firm, Butler Snow: (737) 802-1807, or the general Austin office at (737) 802-1800.
You don't need to say much. Here's a script you can use as-is or adapt:
"Hi, I'm calling because I believe it's extremely important that prisoners in Texas continue to be allowed to receive free secondhand books in the mail, without arbitrary restrictions on the condition of the books and without requiring senders to register the books through an online portal. The ability to read books is one of the few meaningful ways for someone to spend their time in prison. Many of them don't have anyone who can buy and mail them new books. Organizations that send free books to incarcerated people simply can't afford to buy new books for every person imprisoned in Texas who wants one, or the time to register each book. Books are not the source of the drug problems in Texas prisons. Please seek medically sound approaches to treating addiction and preventing overdoses, and cancel this plan that would deny thousands of prisoners access to books."
A few practical notes: you don't have to answer questions or engage in debate. Please don't mention specific organizations by name on the call, as this could invite retaliation. If you'd prefer privacy, dialing *67 before the number will block your caller ID for that call. And whatever you're feeling — and it's reasonable to feel a lot — a calm, clear call is the most effective one.
Want to read more? Here are the sources behind this post:
The PLP has always believed that a book can change a life. Help us keep that door open.
A note of thanks to the volunteers at Books Through Bars, who have been organizing around this issue and generously shared the information that made this post possible.
