Inmates in U.S. prisons and jails do not have access to regular email, but most facilities offer a monitored form of electronic messaging that works through closed platforms built for correctional use. Every message is screened by staff before delivery, sending costs money on most systems, and neither side can use an ordinary Gmail or Outlook account to reach the other. If you want to write to someone inside, you use the vendor the facility contracts with, and you follow that vendor’s rules.
How Prison Messaging Systems Actually Work
The systems run on closed networks operated by private vendors under contract with correctional agencies. The three largest are CorrLinks, JPay, and Securus (now branded ViaPath). None connect inmates to the open internet. An inmate composes a message on a secure tablet or kiosk inside the facility, the message enters a review queue, and staff screen it before it goes out. Incoming messages travel the same path in reverse.
In federal prisons, the Bureau of Prisons runs a system called TRULINCS, short for Trust Fund Limited Inmate Computer System. Inmates write messages on designated terminals inside the facility, and approved contacts on the outside read and reply through the public-facing CorrLinks website or mobile app.1Federal Bureau of Prisons. TRULINCS Topics State prisons and county jails typically contract with JPay, Securus, or another vendor, and the specific platform varies by facility.
The critical thing to understand: you cannot email an inmate from your regular email account, and they cannot email you from a normal one. Both sides use the facility’s designated platform, or no messages go through at all.
How to Send a Message to Someone Inside
First, find out which vendor the facility uses. Federal prisons use CorrLinks. For state prisons and jails, check the facility’s website or call directly. The inmate can usually tell you which system to use on a phone call or during a visit.
Next, create an account on the vendor’s site or app. You will need the inmate’s full legal name and their identification number. On TRULINCS, the process starts from the inmate’s side: the inmate adds you to their contact list, which triggers an automated email asking whether you consent to communicate.2Federal Bureau of Prisons. TRULINCS Program Statement Accepting means you agree that Bureau staff will monitor everything you send and receive. Decline, and no messages can be exchanged.
On JPay and similar platforms, the outside user usually initiates the connection by searching for the inmate and requesting to be added. Either way, the facility must approve the contact before any messages flow, and that approval can take anywhere from a few hours to several days.
Once you are approved, you log in, compose your message, and send it. On stamp-based systems, you have to buy credits first. Messages are text-only in most cases and often have character limits.
What It Costs
Messaging is not free, and the costs fall on both inmates and their outside contacts depending on the system. In federal prisons, inmates pay roughly five cents per minute of computer time on TRULINCS, which covers reading, writing, and managing their contact list. Outside users on CorrLinks generally do not pay to send or receive messages in the basic version, though a premium account with features like mobile notifications and longer message retention is available for a fee.
State systems work differently. Platforms like JPay require the purchase of virtual “stamps,” and each message costs one or more stamps to send. Stamp prices vary by contract but commonly run around $0.25 to $0.50 per message. Attaching a photo typically costs an additional stamp on top of the base price.3Prison Policy Initiative. SMH: The Rapid and Unregulated Growth of E-messaging in Prisons A message with one photo can cost twice what a plain text message does. Video messages, where allowed, cost more still, usually several stamps per short clip.
One thing that catches families off guard: purchased stamps and credits are generally non-refundable. If an inmate transfers to a different facility or gets released, the credits tied to that facility’s system may not follow them. Refund policies vary, but the default position for most vendors is that purchases are final. Check the terms before loading large amounts onto an account.
Every Message Gets Read
The single biggest difference between prison messaging and real email is that every message, in both directions, is subject to review by correctional staff. By using these systems, both the inmate and the outside contact consent to that monitoring. There is no private mode.
Messages will be rejected or delayed if they contain threats, discussion of illegal activity, or content that could compromise facility security. Sexually explicit material is prohibited on most systems, though the exact line varies by facility. Staff are also trained to flag messages that appear to use codes, slang designed to obscure meaning, or references to contraband. Asking the recipient to forward a message to a third party or to post something online on the inmate’s behalf is typically banned as well.
Review time means messages do not arrive instantly. Some go through in a few hours; delays of a day or two are common during busy periods or at facilities with limited screening staff. Don’t expect the pace of regular texting.
If staff reject a message in a federal facility, regulations require the warden to notify both the sender and the inmate in writing, with the reason. Both parties have the right to appeal, and the appeal goes to a different official than the one who made the original decision. There is one significant exception: if a message contains evidence of criminal activity or plans for a crime, the facility is not required to notify the sender or return the correspondence, and can instead forward it to law enforcement.4eCFR. 28 CFR 540.13 – Notification of Rejections
Attorney Messages Are Not Private
This is the gap most people don’t know about. The Bureau of Prisons currently recognizes attorney-client privilege for phone calls, physical mail, and in-person visits, but not for electronic messages.5Congresswoman Madeleine Dean. Dean, Jeffries, Lee, Bacon Reintroduce Legislation to Protect Private Communication Between Incarcerated People and Their Lawyers The BOP’s position is that it can read messages between inmates and their attorneys.
To use TRULINCS at all, inmates must agree that their messages will be monitored and that attorney-client privilege will not apply. There is no opt-out that preserves privilege while keeping messaging access. Declining the waiver effectively means losing email access.
Physical legal mail carries much stronger protection. Federal regulations require that incoming legal mail be opened only in the inmate’s presence, inspected only for physical contraband, and not read by staff as long as the envelope is properly marked as special mail.6eCFR. 28 CFR 540.18 – Special Mail Outgoing legal mail can be sealed by the inmate without inspection. None of those protections extend to electronic messages. Legislation called the Effective Assistance of Counsel in the Digital Era Act was reintroduced in Congress in February 2026 to close that gap, but it has not been enacted.5Congresswoman Madeleine Dean. Dean, Jeffries, Lee, Bacon Reintroduce Legislation to Protect Private Communication Between Incarcerated People and Their Lawyers For now, if you are an attorney communicating with an incarcerated client, or an inmate discussing sensitive legal matters, treat electronic messages as monitored and use physical legal mail or in-person meetings for anything confidential.
Photos and Video Messages
Most platforms allow photos as attachments, but they cost extra. On stamp-based systems, each photo typically costs one additional stamp on top of the base message. Multiple photos multiply the cost. Some platforms offer short video messages, sometimes called VideoGrams, capped at 30 seconds to a few minutes and costing several stamps per clip. Not every facility allows video messaging.
All attachments pass through the same content screening as text. Photos with nudity, gang imagery, or content deemed a security risk will be rejected, and the review often takes longer than for plain text.
Federal Facilities Versus State and County
Federal prisons are relatively uniform. TRULINCS is the messaging system across all Bureau of Prisons facilities, inmates pay per minute of computer time, and outside contacts use CorrLinks at no base cost.1Federal Bureau of Prisons. TRULINCS Topics The contact approval process starts from the inmate’s side, and the inmate manages their own contact list.2Federal Bureau of Prisons. TRULINCS Program Statement
State systems are all over the map. Each state department of corrections negotiates its own contract with a private vendor, so the platform, the pricing, the stamp costs, and the specific rules vary by state and sometimes by facility. Some state prisons have moved heavily toward tablet-based messaging, where inmates receive a personal tablet loaded with the vendor’s app. Others still rely on shared kiosks. Check the specific facility’s setup rather than assuming any one system applies everywhere.
County jails add another layer. Shorter stays mean the messaging infrastructure may be more limited, and the vendor may differ from the one used by the state prison system in the same state. If someone is transferred from a county jail to a state prison, they will likely switch platforms entirely, and credits purchased on the old system will not transfer automatically.