TRULINCS and Corrlinks Explained: How Federal Inmate Messaging Really Works

If you’ve started looking into staying in touch with a loved one in federal prison, you’ve probably run into the terms “TRULINCS” and “Corrlinks” within the first few minutes. They get used almost interchangeably, they both sound bureaucratic, and neither one obviously explains how you actually get a text message to someone locked up in a federal facility. Here’s what each term actually means, how they relate to each other, and how ContactMeAsap turns that system into something you can use from your own phone.

What Is TRULINCS?

TRULINCS stands for the Trust Fund Limited Inmate Computer System. It’s the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ own locked-down inmate messaging platform — a set of computer terminals installed inside federal facilities that inmates use to send and receive messages, among other limited functions. It is not an app, and it is not something that lives on a personal phone — it runs on those in-facility computer terminals instead. For the Bureau of Prisons’ own rules on inmate phone access and the technical details governing TRULINCS use — session limits, monitoring policy, and similar specifics — the source to check is bop.gov.

TRULINCS vs. Corrlinks: Are They the Same Thing?

Functionally, from a family’s point of view, yes — they’re two names for the same connected system, which is why you’ll see them used together constantly, including in our own plan descriptions (our Basic plan lists “US & Canada Corrlinks integration,” for example). TRULINCS is the Bureau of Prisons’ name for the internal system running on facility terminals; Corrlinks is the messaging system tied to that same network that families have historically used to correspond with an inmate. In practice, when a company — ours included — says it integrates with “Corrlinks/TRULINCS,” it means it connects to the inmate messaging network the Bureau of Prisons runs, full stop.

Why Families Can’t Just “Text” Corrlinks Directly

TRULINCS is a locked-down system families can’t easily use from a phone on their own — it’s built for inmates to access from inside the facility, not for you to text into from the outside the way you would a friend’s cell number. That’s the actual gap ContactMeAsap exists to bridge: you get a real, ordinary phone number to text from your own device, and we handle getting those messages into and out of the TRULINCS/Corrlinks system on the other end.

How ContactMeAsap Bridges TRULINCS to Real Texting

We Add You to Your Inmate’s TRULINCS Contacts

We provide an easy-to-use, easy-to-remember email address for your account, and that address gets entered into your inmate’s TRULINCS computer. From there, your inmate can immediately “text approve” you as a contact — a step required to comply with BOP policy on approved contacts. You don’t need to separately create or manage a Corrlinks account yourself; we handle the TRULINCS-side setup, and you communicate through your regular phone.

Your Messages Ride Real Carrier Networks

Through legal agreements with T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon, we’ve secured high-volume message delivery, so your texts aren’t stuck waiting in a queue to reach the TRULINCS side of the system. For the full walkthrough of getting an inmate set up from scratch, see our guide on how to text a federal inmate.

Replies Come Back as Normal Texts

When your inmate responds through TRULINCS, the reply comes back to you as an ordinary text message on your phone — no separate app to check, no portal to log into. It shows up in the same thread as any other text conversation.

A Contact Book on the TRULINCS Side

Once you’re approved as a contact, your inmate isn’t stuck typing your raw phone number every time. A contact book (or “phone book”) feature lets them send a message to a saved name instead, and setup instructions for it come with the welcome email you receive once you make a payment — useful once an inmate has several approved contacts going through the same TRULINCS terminal.

The Unique Phone Number Behind It

Once you’re set up, your inmate is assigned a phone number that belongs only to them for as long as their account stays funded. When they’re released, that number can be transferred to any cellular carrier they choose, and we can arrange to switch it over on a specific day — so the number that carried your TRULINCS-routed messages can keep working as a normal cell number afterward.

What Runs Behind the Scenes

A staff of programmers and network engineers monitors the network day and night to keep service running without interruption. Because the integration connects directly to TRULINCS/Corrlinks rather than routing through additional third-party layers, delivery stays fast in both directions, and there are no restrictions on how often you message or how long your messages run — unlimited applies to frequency and content length alike.

Privacy on a Locked-Down System

TRULINCS is commonly described as a monitored, locked-down system — that’s the Bureau of Prisons’ own platform, not ours, and the Bureau publishes its current monitoring and privacy policy at bop.gov. On our side of the bridge, your messages and photos are processed entirely in-house rather than passed through additional third-party services, which keeps the number of hands touching your family’s communications to a minimum.

A Long-Standing, Women-Owned Service

ContactMeAsap is a long-standing company in the correctional communications field, and it’s 100% female owned and operated, with a workforce built around diversity. That matters for a system as specialized as TRULINCS/Corrlinks integration — it’s not a side project bolted onto a general texting app, it’s the core of what the company does.

Coverage and Plans

The Basic Federal Plan ($20) includes US & Canada Corrlinks integration. The Premium Federal Plan ($30) adds Puerto Rico & Central/South America coverage, along with priority Corrlinks processing so your messages move through the system faster, plus the AI assistant “Diamond” for federal inmates. Both plans are pay-as-you-go with no auto-billing and no saved card details — you add funds when you need them. Add funds to get started.

Getting Set Up

Click Add Funds, provide the information needed to set up your account, and once payment is approved you’ll get instructions by text and email covering exactly how to get texting up and running. It’s quick, and you’re not expected to navigate TRULINCS or Corrlinks yourself — we handle that side of the connection.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is TRULINCS the same as Corrlinks?

They’re closely related parts of the same Bureau of Prisons inmate messaging network. TRULINCS is the Bureau’s name for the internal system on facility terminals; Corrlinks is the messaging piece families have used to reach an inmate on that network. In everyday use, including in our own plan descriptions, the two names are treated as one connected system.

Do I need my own Corrlinks account to use ContactMeAsap?

No. We add your contact email to your inmate’s TRULINCS account and handle the contact-approval step for you. From your side, you just text an ordinary phone number — there’s no separate portal for you to manage.

Why can’t I just email my inmate’s Corrlinks address like a phone number?

Corrlinks-style messaging is commonly described as email-based rather than real-time SMS — the Bureau of Prisons has more detail on how the system works at bop.gov. Either way, your inmate accesses it through the TRULINCS terminal, not a personal phone. That’s why ContactMeAsap issues your inmate a real phone number on our end, so the two of you can trade actual text messages instead of email.

What if my messages aren’t going through?

Text 734-215-7002and our support team will look into it — that line is staffed 24/7. If the issue needs a phone call, request an escalation code first and then call 763-501-9376. Every way to reach us is listed on our contact page.