Federal inmate texting: FAQ

Federal inmates send and receive messages through TRULINCS, the Bureau of Prisons' electronic messaging system, which families access on CorrLinks. The inmate adds you as an approved contact, you create a free CorrLinks account and accept the request, and then you can message. To text and send photos from your phone, you can add a relay service such as ContactMeAsap that delivers through the same CorrLinks/TRULINCS system. Our step-by-step guide walks through it.

Yes. TRULINCS/CorrLinks is the Bureau of Prisons' own messaging system, so using it is legal and routine. Messages are monitored and must follow BOP rules, but the activity itself is permitted for approved contacts.

The inmate needs TRULINCS access from inside the facility, and they must add you as an approved contact. On your side, CorrLinks is the website you log into to accept the request and exchange messages. A relay service rides on the same system, so the inmate still needs TRULINCS access either way.

Your part is quick — creating a CorrLinks account and accepting a request takes minutes. The real wait is on the inmate's side: they can only add you from a facility terminal during their access time, and the invitation email reaches you after that. Plan for a few days end to end rather than minutes.

The process starts with the inmate adding you as an approved contact in TRULINCS, which triggers an invitation email to you. So in effect the first move comes from their side — you can't initiate contact from the outside until they've added you and you've accepted.

Messaging is not live texting. The inmate only sees new messages when they next log in at a facility terminal, and messages are reviewed, so there's a built-in delay. Treat it like email with a lag rather than instant messaging. A relay service can streamline sending, but it can't change how often the inmate is able to log in.

A CorrLinks account is free for families. The inmate pays for their TRULINCS time to read and compose messages, drawn from their commissary account. A relay service is an optional add-on for convenience — ContactMeAsap starts around $20/month, drawn from a balance you add.

Standard CorrLinks is text-focused and photo support is limited. Relay services such as ContactMeAsap let you send photos from your phone, delivered within BOP rules through the same system.

Yes. Everything sent and received through TRULINCS/CorrLinks can be read and reviewed by facility staff. It is not private correspondence, and using a relay service doesn't change that — the messages still travel through the monitored BOP system.

Don't send threats, coded or illegal content, messages on behalf of third parties, or anything that could be read as helping break a rule. Facilities can reject messages or suspend messaging for violations, so follow the current BOP and facility guidelines.

CorrLinks is the official family-facing website for the BOP's TRULINCS system — it's the channel itself, and it's free. A relay service like ContactMeAsap is a third-party convenience layer that rides on that same channel: it lets you text and send photos from your phone and adds support, for a monthly fee. The relay doesn't replace CorrLinks/TRULINCS; it sends through it.

CorrLinks/TRULINCS is the official Bureau of Prisons system and is always the underlying channel. Relay services such as ContactMeAsap are legitimate third-party conveniences that deliver your messages through that official system for a subscription fee — they aren't the BOP and aren't free, and they can't bypass approval or monitoring. The honest way to see it: you're paying for a nicer app and support on top of a system you could also use directly for free.