New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo will end a pilot program that required anyone sending a care package to prison inmates to buy it only from one of six state-approved vendors. 

"I am directing the Dept. of Corrections to rescind its flawed pilot program that restricted shipment of books & care packages to inmates," he tweeted Friday. "Concerns from families need to be addressed, while we redouble efforts to fight prison contraband."

The restrictions were supposed to cut down on the flow of contraband. But nonprofits who offer prisoners free books said they were shut out, and some families found the approved vendors to be expensive, and offered a very limited selection.

According to the website of one approved vendor, Maya Angelou's poetry collection I Shall Not Be Moved sells for $15.95, while one could order it from Barnes & Noble.com for $12.

Soffiyah Elijah, executive director of the Alliance of Families for Justice, said her organization received complaints from both inmates and their families who felt restricted from buying what they could afford.  

"Mom goes and buys stuff from the local store, the 99-cent store, the bodega to try to share those bonds of love and caring," she said. But Elijah said the pilot project prohibited that from happening. It also prevented families from delivering packages in person, a common practice. 

Amy Peterson from NYC Books Through Bars said inmates can't even afford postage much less a book from a vendor. Her organization ships books to inmates for free.  

"We hope that this situation has brought attention to the plight of the tens of thousands of incarcerated New Yorkers who live every day without access to meaningful literature, fresh food, warm clothing, and their families," Peterson wrote in a statement.

Initially, the state had plans to expand the pilot program to the entire prison system by the fall of 2018, Elijah said. But now that's changed.

“As part of a multi-faceted plan to address the flow of contraband, the department recently launched a pilot secure vendor program in three of its facilities, similar to ones already in place in nearly 30 other states," said Thomas Mailey, a spokesman for the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. "However, concerns have been raised by families of inmates regarding the availability and price of products under this program, concerns we do not take lightly."

Mailey said the program would be suspended until the concerns are addressed.