Inmate Books
Please follow these directions to send books successfully
Rule 1: Ship Books from Distributor direct to the Carteret County Detention Center
The Carteret County Detention Center will no longer accept books from small and local bookstores nor will we accept them from friends and family of the inmate. You have to ship direct from a major national bookstore, like Amazon, Books-A-Million, Barnes and Noble, etc.
Do not have books shipped to yourself and then forward the parcel to the detention center. Books must be shipped direct from the distributor to the Carteret County Detention Center.
Rule 2: Only Ship New Books
The Carteret County Detention Center will only accept new books. All books are restricted to a size no larger than 6x9 and must not contain a hardcover. Inmates may not receive more than 3 books per month. If the inmate receives more than their limit, any further book shipments may be rejected. Verify with inmate to make sure that they have not already reached their limit.
Rule 3: Address the Shipment Correctly Using a Post Office Box
The Carteret County Detention Center will only accept book parcels whey they are delivered by the United States Postal Service (USPS). any parcels delivered by a courier facility like UPS or FedEx will normally be rejected as they require a signature during delivery and no detention center officer will sign for a delivery on behalf of an inmate.
Parcels should be addressed:
Inmate Name
Carteret County Detention Center
PO Box 239
Beaufort, NC 28516
Rule 4: Do Not Ship Hardcover Books
The Carteret County Detention Center will not accept hardcover books. Always ship softcover books that contain no staples, no cardboard, no spiral binding as well as additional items like bookmarks, etc.
Rule 5: No Violence or Nudity
The Carteret County Detention Center will reject any books with nudity or any sort of violent themes.
- Depictions of nudity, obscenities, suggestive images, or other offensive materials.
- Depictions of weapons, gang references, criminal activity, codes, or marking.
- Depictions containing writings, images or references that may incite violence, riot, or racism.
Religious Items
We no longer accept Religious Items to be dropped off at the detention center main lobby. The religious items must come directly from a major publisher, like Amazon.
Magazines or News Publications
The Carteret County Detention Center will not accept any magazines or news publications. Any of these items that are received will be returned to sender.