As our social media followers may know, City Books regularly fulfills book orders from a handful of incarcerated customers. Access to books has been shown to increase empathy, reduce recidivism, and ease integration back into the community.
We have held fund drives for books in the past, but since we are not a designated charity, this has caused balance sheet complications for us. Our financial advisor has warned against collecting donations of this sort in the future, so we are currently providing interested parties with other options.
Charitable donations
If you are interested in donating to non-profit organizations that help incarcerated people gain access to books, these are organizations located in our immediate area. There are others like these around the country.
Pittsburgh Prison Book Project
Appalachian Prison Book Project
Individual donations
At this time, only three of our incarcerated customers have given us permission to share their information with the City Books community. We will post direct links to the financial service providers which operate within the facilities in which our existing customers are housed only when we have the customer’s permission.
- Richard Grosso is currently hoping to buy a clear Swintec typewriter approved by the PA Department of Corrections. It costs $335.50, plus tax and shipping. This typewriter would reduce the time he spends writing legal briefs by hand for fellow inmates and the amount of paper that he consumes—the cost of which was recently raised from $3.00 to $8.00 per 200 sheets. (A recent brief that he completed took 18 handwritten pages.)
If you are interested in sending money to Richard, you will need to create an account with JPay. Once that is complete, you can search for his information. Richard is incarcerated in Pennsylvania and his identification number is CW6956. There is a $3.25 processing fee for using JPay.
2. Jaron Davis reads history, romance, and mystery books. He places orders at least every other week by telephone. Sometimes, he orders similar books for his friend Steve, as well, and they share titles.
If you are interested in sending money to JD, follow this link to Western Union. From there, select Corrections Corp of America, and enter the following name and identification number: Jaron Davis 5890293. You will be prompted to register for an account where you can then add a credit card number and personal information. There is a $4.95 processing fee for using Western Union.
3. John Bertolette orders books about architecture and high-end home construction. He is also becoming interested in books about civil rights and the constitutional rights of prisoners.
If you are interested in sending money to John, you will need to create an account with JPay. Once that is complete, you can search for his information. John is incarcerated in Pennsylvania and his identification number is KK4787. There is a $3.25 processing fee for using JPay.
City Books is not soliciting donations on behalf of the charities or individuals listed on this page. We do not endorse any of the individuals, charities, or financial services companies listed here. We assume no responsibility for items ordered by our incarcerated customers or the charities. We are not liable for any subsequent contact between donor/recipient that may occur as a result of a donation.
City Books will not have access to donor information.
This information will remain on our website at our discretion and may be removed without notice.