Books

Ordering Books

Effective immediately, books may be purchased from any book vendor that ships through the United States Postal Service (USPS), UPS or FedEx. Please note that Amazon deliveries cannot be accepted unless the orders are delivered by one of those three companies.

For book orders, the address must contain:

Incarcerated individual name 
DOC Number 
Allegheny County Jail 
950 Second Avenue 
Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Ordering Information

  • Books must be sent via the United States Postal Service (USPS), UPS or FedEx.
  • The USPS delivery scan indicates the book has been delivered to the post office. It does not necessarily mean it has arrived at the ACJ.
  • Inmates may receive up to seven paperback books a day.
  • The jail needs a receipt from the distributor in order to ensure the inventory is correct. If a receipt is not received or does not contain the appropriate information, jail staff will hold the book for 10 days and contact the incarcerated individual through the tablet system so the individual can reach out to the sender to provide the receipt to the jail.

Submitting Receipts and Filing Complaints & Appeals Online

You are now able to submit book order receipts or file complaints and appeals online by utilizing the follow process:

  • Visit the Support Center and select “Request Service/File Complaint.”
  • Select “Jail Inmate Book Orders.”
  • Select “Book Order Receipt,” “Book Order Complaint” or “Book Order Decision Appeal.”
  • The next screen will prompt you to create a GovQA account – this must be created before you can submit receipts, complaints or appeals.
  • After creating the GovQA account, you can use the forms to submit receipts, complaints or appeals. 

The following books are NOT permitted in the facility:

  • Hardcover books
  • Books with plastic or wire bindings
  • Books containing pornography, sexually explicit material or nudity
  • Books that advocate violence
  • Books pertaining to weapons, firearms and ammunition, or directions for making explosives
  • Books pertaining to tattoo styles
  • Books deemed to compromise the safety and security of the facility
  • Incarcerated individuals are permitted a maximum of seven publications.

Other Publications

  • Magazines and newspapers must be sent directly from the publisher and via United States Postal Service (USPS), UPS or FedEx.

 

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