· Do inmates have
access to the Internet?
· Do all BOP
facilities have access to TRULINCS?
· How do I
correspond with an inmate?
· I accepted the
system generated message, but the inmate has not been notified.
· Is correspondence
monitored?
· What do I do if
I want to stop corresponding with an inmate?
· What do I do if
I accidentally declined to correspond and want to correspond?
The Trust
Fund Limited Inmate Computer System (TRULINCS) is a new program currently being
deployed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to provide inmates with some
limited computer access to include the capability to send and receive
electronic messages without having access to the Internet. See http://www.bop.gov/inmate_programs/visiting.jsp
One
purpose of this program is to assist in the inmate’s eventual community
reentry. Many of these inmates are nearing their release date.
Electronic messages have now become a standard form of correspondence within
most American homes and businesses and can now also serve as a way to keep
inmates connected to their families. Strengthening or re-establishing
these family ties assists the inmates with their successful reentry into the
community and can reduce the possibility that they recidivate.
Do inmates have access to the Internet?
No
Internet access is provided.
No
taxpayer dollars are used for this service. Funding is provided entirely
by the Inmate Trust Fund, which is maintained by profits from inmate purchases
of Commissary products, telephone services, and the fees inmates pay for using
TRULINCS.
Do all BOP facilities have access to TRULINCS?
No, however,
the list of facilities is growing, and TRULINCS is anticipated to be in all BOP
operated facilities by June 2011. Ask
your inmate contact about it!
How do I correspond with an inmate?
Inmates
are limited to sending and receiving electronic messages only from
individuals on their approved contact list. An inmate must request to
exchange electronic messages with a person in the community by placing that
person on their contact list. If staff approve the inmate’s request to
exchange electronic messages, the system generates a message to that person
advising them of the request and gives them the option of accepting; rejecting
the request and any future electronic messages from that particular inmate; or
rejecting the request and any future electronic messages from any Federal
inmate. The inmate will be notified of the requested contact’s reply
action and messaging may begin if the applicable response was received by the
contact.
Verify
with the inmate that they entered your e-mail address properly. Pay
special attention to the spelling of addresses and domain names (.com, .net,
etc.).
Many mail
clients have filters to protect users from spam and viruses. Once you
have verified the inmate entered your correct e-mail address, you should check
your junk mail folder to see if a filter diverted the message.
I accepted the system generated message, but the inmate
has not been notified.
Responses
will only be accepted from the exact e-mail address placed on the
inmate’s contact list. Messages from forwarded domains, alias addresses,
or mis-configured mail software will not be recognized by TRULINCS and, therefore,
cannot be delivered. Please verify your Reply Address in your mail
client’s account settings. It must be the exact address entered on
the inmate’s contact list. Do not alter
the reply message or the subject line.
Many mail
clients' viewing capabilities are defaulted to view text formatted messages to
reduce the number of viruses introduced to your computer. To approve/refuse
communication with an inmate, your viewing capability must be set to view html
formatted messages in order to launch the appropriate hyper-link to
approve/refuse communication.
Yes; all
correspondence is subject to monitoring. Inmates consent to monitoring
when they agree to participate in the program. Contacts consent to
monitoring when they approve corresponding with the inmate and are notified
each time they receive correspondence from the inmate.
Correspondence
may not jeopardize the safety, security, or orderly operation of the
correctional facility, or the protection of the public; exceed 13,000 characters
(approximately two pages); or have attachments. Correspondence that
jeopardizes the safety, security, or orderly operation of the correctional
facility, or the protection of the public or exceeds the 13,000 character
limit, will be rejected. Any attachments sent with electronic messages,
will be stripped and not delivered to the inmate.
What do I do if I want to stop corresponding with an
inmate?
Contacts
may remove themselves from a specific inmate’s contact list or refuse all
future Federal inmates’ requests for message exchanges at any time by selecting
the applicable action identified in the footer of each inmate message.
What do I do if I accidentally declined to correspond and
want to correspond?
If a
member of the public accidentally responds that they do not want to correspond
with the specific inmate or any Federal inmate and a block is placed on their
e-mail address, they must provide a written request to the Warden of the
facility where the inmate is located to remove the block. Requests must
include the contact’s name, physical address, e-mail address, and telephone
number.