TRULINCS Email at Big Spring: What It Is and How It Works

Not everyone at Big Spring has automatic access to TRULINCS. Your loved one needs approval before they can send or receive messages. If you haven't heard back yet, that's the first thing to check.

Think of TRULINCS as email inside the BOP system. It's built for written updates - day-to-day news, questions, the kind of steady back-and-forth that's hard to maintain by phone alone. Short messages sent often tend to work better than long ones sent rarely.

Keep the format simple: TRULINCS messages can contain text only. Attachments aren’t allowed, so skip photos, PDFs, and anything that would normally be “added” to an email.

Each message maxes out at 13,000 characters - roughly two pages of text. If you have a lot to say, split it across multiple messages.

1. Confirm your loved one is approved for TRULINCS - they must be approved before they can send or receive messages.
2. Plan around the approval step - if TRULINCS is brand-new for them, build in extra time before expecting messages to start flowing.

1. Give permission to communicate - each person an inmate wants to message has to give their permission before TRULINCS can be used.
2. Consent to monitoring - both the inmate and approved contacts must consent to monitoring prior to using the system.
3. If messages aren’t going through, re-check consent - a missing permission/consent step is a common reason communication doesn’t start right away.

Access to TRULINCS at Big Spring runs through the institution. Your loved one's system access is managed by staff, and your ability to message them depends on being an approved contact who has completed the required permissions and monitoring consent.

TRULINCS isn't taxpayer-funded. It runs on the Inmate Trust Fund - money generated from commissary sales and telephone services - plus the fees inmates pay to use the system.

• ✓ Write as text only - don’t try to send attachments.
• ✓ Keep each message under 13,000 characters (roughly two pages).
• ✓ If your loved one says they can’t email yet, ask whether they’ve been approved to use TRULINCS.
• ✓ If you’re waiting on a first message, make sure you’ve given permission to communicate and consented to monitoring - both are required before messaging can start.

The Bureau of Prisons sets the core TRULINCS rules, but day-to-day details can vary by facility. If you're getting started or running into issues, confirm Big Spring's local instructions and any facility-specific supplements to make sure you're following the current process.