How Phone Calls Work at FCI Cumberland: monitoring, time limits, and why third‑party calls aren’t allowed

Phone privileges at FCI Cumberland exist to help incarcerated people stay connected with family and community contacts - while still giving the BOP control over communications. In most cases, your loved one pays for calls, though sometimes the receiving party covers the cost instead. The BOP can also limit or place conditions on phone privileges when it needs to for facility management.

Assume every call is monitored. The BOP posts a notice next to each inmate telephone making this clear.

Third-party or alternative call arrangements aren't allowed at FCI Cumberland. That means no workarounds to put someone else on the line without the system treating it as a direct call. The BOP extends phone access to support family ties, but it also has to prevent phones from being used for criminal or inappropriate purposes - and it can restrict phone use accordingly.

Calls made through the TRUFONE system can be monitored and recorded. Recordings are stored temporarily and deleted after 180 days - unless they're kept longer for legal or administrative purposes.

That "unless retained" part catches many families off guard. If a recording is needed for legal or administrative reasons, it can be kept well beyond the usual 180-day window. Phone access is a privilege, and the recordkeeping around it is part of how the facility manages inmate communications.

TRUFONE call data isn't just for billing or routing calls. The BOP collects it to monitor and control communications between federal inmates and the public - and to gather law-enforcement intelligence as part of its safety and custody responsibilities.

Practical Tips for Families

• ✓ Assume calls are monitored and speak accordingly.
• ✓ Don’t use regular phone calls to discuss privileged legal matters; unmonitored attorney calls are permitted in certain circumstances.
• ✓ Avoid three‑way calls, call forwarding, or any “workaround” that turns the call into a third‑party/alternative arrangement - those aren’t permitted.

For day-to-day planning, know who's paying and who controls the privilege. Usually the inmate pays, though sometimes the receiving party covers the cost. If phone access gets limited, it's likely because the BOP is adjusting privileges to meet facility management needs.