Text messaging apps enable loved ones to stay in contact with incarcerated loved ones in compliance with prison regulations. They often feature messaging and photo capabilities as well as video calling capabilities and the option for sending eCards. Some even allow for money transfers into trust accounts.
Find an inmate using their booking number or name, purchase credits for replies and find out pricing varies by facility.
1. Secure Messaging
Secure Messaging is a popular choice among federal inmates for its user-friendly design, easy set-up, and low monthly cost. At just $20 per month, inmates can send unlimited messages outside the prison walls at a fraction of the cost associated with calling or sending emails; plus it offers excellent protection of communication privacy between loved ones outside prison walls.
Secure Messaging provides fully encrypted communications so your family member’s messages cannot be read by unintended parties, essential for HIPAA compliance and to prevent privacy breaches and potential liability issues. In addition to full encryption, there are other security features like password-protected chat rooms, multi-factor authentication and instant feedback notifications; plus clients have the flexibility of client portals, mobile apps or email when creating team conversations.
Communicating with an inmate is difficult without access to a phone service. Many correctional facilities don’t permit prisoners access to phones or electronic messaging services, but that doesn’t mean you have to stay disconnected – use an app designed specifically for prisoners such as Texting-IN to exchange messages, photos and videos with them in prison.
Add a short, 3-minute voice message that is sure to reach their ears, showing your loved ones you care and showing that you are thinking about them in prison. With this service, your loved ones are sure to hear it as it shows they know they are being remembered by you!
Many inmates can access these applications on tablets provided to them from facilities or purchased independently, providing an affordable alternative to sending letters or using paid services like JPay and GettingOut. Inmate-specific services like these allow you to send money into trust accounts, fund media accounts or purchase tablets for those incarcerated contacts.
However, certain inmates may only be permitted a certain amount of time or message volume within 24 hours for public messaging; these restrictions can be particularly bothersome; but remembering that when reaching their limit while typing your message(s), the messages will automatically save as drafts for later is key to success.
2. ConnectNetwork Messaging
Prison can often feel isolating for its inmates, making contact difficult and time consuming through traditional means like letter writing and phone calls; texting offers fast and efficient communications services that correctional facilities typically allow inmates access to via mobile devices, tablets and specialized apps.
ConnectNetwork, a GTL company providing correctional technology solutions, offers a messaging service via its ConnectNetwork app for Android and iOS devices that enables family and friends of individuals incarcerated to contact them around-the-clock and weekly. Users are also able to send money, manage account information and set low balance text alerts through this platform.
Utilizing the ConnectNetwork app is straightforward. After selecting an inmate, users can tap “Messages” to compose and send their messages directly. They will be reviewed by facility prior to being delivered directly to inmates; once approved they may respond via reply. While downloading and using this app are free of charge, message rates vary by state and facility.
If a message is rejected by the facility, users will receive an inbox rejection message. Credits for messages and PhotoGrams can be purchased in books called stamps whose prices vary by facility; stamps will not be returned in cases of messages being declined by an inmate.
Federal inmates often benefit from these services as an essential way of staying connected to family and friends during an often trying time. Unfortunately, many families have found the cost prohibitive despite wanting to keep in contact with loved ones in federal prison.
As inmate apps continue to increase in number, it’s essential to remember that incarcerated individuals remain human beings with feelings and needs. Technology may make communicating easier and faster but these tools should never replace face-to-face visits or phone calls for communicating with an inmate. For more on this topic, read this article from Slate and New America which explores how messaging apps may influence prison relationships.
3. TextBehind
TextBehind makes keeping in touch easy and affordable for everyone involved – family, friends, inmate pen pals and their loved ones who have been imprisoned alike can use TextBehind to send letters, photos and greeting cards directly to incarcerated loved ones, while inmate replies can be delivered back directly to a sender’s smartphone and email free of charge!
With this application, incarcerated pen pals can also send money orders more easily and stay connected. Another great benefit of the app is that it scans documents and images quickly for mailing purposes; plus inmates can make video calls back home for secure, convenient communication!
But TextBehind’s use by North Carolina prisons has raised concerns that it might harm prisoners and put profit above people, according to Prison Policy Initiative’s report. Outsourcing mail processing with TextBehind has caused delays and mistakes which often force individuals into private digital services–which cost as much as $0.49 per letter–instead.
Prison officials also report that digitizing mail has increased the amount of contraband entering prisons, costing time and resources to track it. Prisoners also have reported experiencing a loss of privacy; for example crayon drawings sent home by children are now scanned instead of being sent directly home; parents also cannot write about grades or school addresses when writing letters home, giving predators access to important details about themselves and their children.
TextBehind has proven cost-effective and efficient for state use despite negative consequences; setting it up requires no additional hardware or software installation and it provides full investigative functions including search and retrieval, inmate watchlist monitoring and identification of gang members among many more. Furthermore, its app also enables correctional facilities to send and process privileged mail with sender/attorney verification; attorneys, public officials and organizations may learn more by visiting its website.
4. Corrlinks
Corrlinks is a government-approved email system that enables inmates to stay in touch with loved ones through family and friends; inmates themselves must pay an access fee in order to use this service, which is available in prisons run by the federal Bureau of Prisons as well as private facilities run by CoreCivic and state correctional agencies.
CorrLinks is an easy and efficient video conferencing application for iOS and Android devices that offers excellent video and audio quality, along with sharing photos and documents to others through the platform. Users can also receive notifications of new messages in real time. Note: CorrLinks requires a stable Internet connection in order to work properly.
Corrlinks messages do not have length restrictions like phone calls do; however, inmates must abide by a 13,000 character limit when creating emails using Corrlinks. A countdown indicator on their composition screen shows them how many characters remain; this helps prevent sensitive or inappropriate material being sent out and helps comply with prison regulations.
Inmates may use the system to send and receive money; however, as there is no secure encryption to protect against hacking attempts it should only be used with trusted contacts. Furthermore, inmates should be aware that prison staff will have access to their emails as the system is monitored by prison officials.
Staying connected to loved ones while incarcerated is of utmost importance for inmates, so using JPay or Corrlinks services such as emailing and texting their loved ones are also vital ways of staying in touch. Furthermore, these services also allow inmates to gain educational and job resources while inside.
Although these services are useful for inmates, their use can become expensive for families. Each minute used and every page printed can cost five cents each – this adds up quickly, and many find the expense too great to bear.