Our mission
We support incarcerated people by offering resources that affirm their humanity, promote self-expression, and encourage a sense of dignity. We believe access to books is a basic right, and we aim to ensure that every person in prison has the opportunity to read, learn, and engage with the world beyond their confinement.
Who We are
Missouri Prison Books is a volunteer-run 501c-3 nonprofit organization based in St. Louis, Missouri. We currently send quality reading material, by request, to incarcerated individuals in Illinois, Indiana, and Kansas. We are associated with Subterranean Books in the University City Loop to help us receive letters from prisons as well as raise funds and increase awareness of our activity.
Our History
Missouri Prison Books formed in 2019 to fill the need for reading material inside Missouri prisons. While demand for books is high in prisons across the U.S., incarcerated people are frequently barred from receiving books from friends and family. Moreover, prison libraries often have limited resources.
For the last two years restrictive policies imposed by the Missouri Department of Corrections have prevented us from sending books to persons incarcerated in Missouri state prisons. However, in late July 2026 a lawsuit brought forward by the First Amendment Clinic of Washington University has resulted in a settlement that will apparently allow us to resume sending books. We expect to be able to do so starting around December 2026. In the meantime we are serving neighboring states: Illinois, Indiana, and Kansas.
missouriprisonbooks.org 