How CorrLinks Works (Email with a Federal Inmate)
CorrLinks is the Bureau of Prisons' official, monitored email system. It's the only email system federal inmates are allowed to use -- there's no way to email a federal inmate through Gmail, Outlook, or any other provider.
You can't email them first
This is the part that trips up almost everyone new to this. The inmate has to add you, not the other way around. Here's the actual order of events:
- The inmate logs into their unit's computer terminal (called TRULINCS) and enters your email address into their approved contact list.
- CorrLinks sends you an automated invitation email, usually within a day or two, from an address like
Web@CorrLinks.com. - You click the link in that email, create a free CorrLinks.com account (name, email, password), and verify your email address.
- Once verified, you can start exchanging messages.
If you never get an invite, check your spam/junk folder first -- these get filtered constantly. If it's genuinely not there, the inmate needs to double-check they entered your email address correctly on their end (a typo means it goes nowhere, silently).
What it costs
Free for you. The inmate pays for it out of their own trust fund account (their "commissary money") -- a small per-message fee. This is part of why response times can be slow or inconsistent: if their account is low, they may not be able to reply until it's funded (see the Money on the Books guide).
What to expect
- Everything is monitored. Staff can and do read messages. Don't put anything in a CorrLinks message you wouldn't want a staff member reading -- that includes anything about a pending legal case (use actual legal mail for that, not CorrLinks).
- No attachments in most cases -- it's plain text. Some facilities have started allowing limited photo attachments, but don't count on it; ask the inmate what's currently allowed at their specific facility.
- Messages aren't instant. Inmates only get limited computer time per day/week depending on the facility's schedule, so don't read silence as anything other than "they haven't had access yet."
- There's a mobile app (also called CorrLinks) if you'd rather message from your phone than a browser.
If something feels off
If an invite arrives from an email address you don't recognize claiming to be your inmate, or if a "CorrLinks" message asks you to click a link to pay something or verify your account outside corrlinks.com itself, that's not how the real system works -- treat it as a scam attempt and don't engage.