Sentencing Advocacy Group · Family Support

CorrLinks and TRULINCS: A Family Communication Guide

TRULINCS is the BOP’s controlled communication system; CorrLinks is the public-facing service families use for approved electronic messages. The incarcerated person initiates contact approval, the family accepts the invitation, and messages are subject to monitoring rather than confidential email protections.

Primarily for BOP-operated facilities. Other detention settings may use different rules and systems. Source review: October 10, 2026.

How do you accept a CorrLinks invitation?

The person adds your correct email address, staff approval is required, and CorrLinks sends an invitation. BOP says the invitation expires after 10 days; an expired invitation requires a new request. Check spam folders and spelling first.

Can you send attachments, photographs, or confidential legal information?

BOP public messaging is text-only, allows no attachments, and limits messages to 13,000 characters. Incarcerated users do not receive open internet access. Use counsel’s approved confidential communication arrangements for legal strategy.

What should you do when messages or calls stop?

Check the email address, accepted invitation, contact status, and known institutional restrictions. Delivery is not necessarily instant, and a first-call deadline cannot be assumed. A missed message alone does not establish an emergency; credible safety information requires prompt contact with staff.

How can you troubleshoot a CorrLinks problem step by step?

First identify the failure: an invitation never arrived, an invitation expired, a contact was blocked, or a sent message did not appear. These are different problems and may require different contacts. BOP’s TRULINCS troubleshooting page is the starting point for the official process.

  1. Verify the exact email address entered by the incarcerated person.
  2. Check spam and junk folders for the system-generated invitation.
  3. Check the invitation date; ask for a new request if the ten-day period has expired.
  4. Confirm that you accepted the invitation and are using the correct CorrLinks account.
  5. Check whether your sent-message record shows the message.
  6. Use CorrLinks support for account or invitation problems and the institution’s appropriate staff for access restrictions.

What should a family communication plan contain?

Agree on the email address to use, a backup postal route, and the family member who will pass along routine updates. Do not repeatedly resend sensitive material because an answer is delayed. BOP explains that accidentally blocked contacts may require a request by the incarcerated person to the institution’s Trust Fund Office. Record the problem and follow the official correction steps.

Where can your family find related guidance?

Use the Federal Prison Directory, prison preparation services, and release and reentry planning for related preparation.

Which official sources should you check?

How can SAG help your family prepare?

Work directly with Joseph De Gregorio to organize family preparation priorities and questions for the appropriate professionals. Explore his publication and media record.

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SAG is an independent consulting practice, not a law firm or government agency. This guide provides general information, not legal, tax, financial, or medical advice. Official rules and individual circumstances control. No outcome or release date is guaranteed.