CorrLinks: Texting, How It Works & Help
Updated October 2026
CorrLinks and TRULINCSare the names you’ll run into for the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ inmate messaging network. Messages on that network are email-style, and inmates read and write them on computer terminals inside the facility — not on a phone. This hub explains how it works in plain English, why there’s no CorrLinks phone number to text, how long messages can take, what to check when they don’t arrive, and how ContactMeAsap lets you text from your own phone instead.
Start by finding your inmate
Free to search — no account needed. Enter a name or BOP register number.
Searches all federal BOP facilities · or add funds directly
Pick the CorrLinks guide you need
CorrLinks Text Messaging
Official CorrLinks is email-style, not SMS. See how families text a federal inmate from their own phone with ContactMeAsap.
How CorrLinks Works
A plain-English walkthrough of CorrLinks and TRULINCS for families: approved contacts, email-style messages and facility review.
CorrLinks Phone Number
Is there a CorrLinks phone number? What CorrLinks is and isn’t, and what number you text instead.
CorrLinks Not Receiving Messages?
The common reasons messages don’t arrive, with a checklist of what to look at first.
How Long Do CorrLinks Messages Take?
What affects delivery time, why it can range from minutes to days, and what we can and can’t promise.
Want the terminology in more depth? Read TRULINCS and Corrlinks Explained. Prefer a step-by-step setup walkthrough? See How to Text a Federal Inmate.
CorrLinks: the short version
- TRULINCS is the Bureau of Prisons’ own inmate computer system, running on terminals inside federal facilities. CorrLinks is the messaging system tied to that network that families have historically used to write to an inmate.
- Official messaging is email-style, not SMS — which is why there’s no CorrLinks phone number you can text.
- Your loved one has to add you to their approved contact list before messages can go through.
- Federal institutions may monitor or restrict inmate communications, and availability and timing can vary by facility.
- ContactMeAsap connects to that network so you can use ordinary text messages from your own phone instead of email-style messages.
Want to text instead?
ContactMeAsap is pay-as-you-go: you add funds when you choose, and your balance is yours until you use it. Both plans are priced per month of service and drawn from that balance.
- Basic Federal Plan — $20per month of service, drawn from the balance you add: unlimited federal inmate text messages, US & Canada CorrLinks integration, pay-per-print photo service, BOP-compliant messaging and email support.
- Premium Federal Plan — $30per month of service, drawn from the balance you add: everything in Basic, plus the AI assistant “Diamond,” Puerto Rico & Central/South America coverage, 25 free federal prison photos, priority CorrLinks processing and 24/7 support.
Plan details as of October 2026.
Ready to start texting?
Searching the BOP directory is free and needs no account, and you’ll see your inmate’s name and facility confirmed before you pay. Learn how federal inmate texting works, or add funds to get started.
Find the person you want to contact
Free to search — no account needed. Enter a name or BOP register number.
Searches all federal BOP facilities · or add funds directly
ContactMeAsap is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) or CorrLinks/TRULINCS. Federal institutions may monitor or restrict inmate communications, and availability can vary by facility.