How to Contact an Inmate at FCI McDowell, WV (WV)

Before making plans to visit, call FCI McDowell at 603-342-4000 to confirm the visiting schedule. Operations can change without notice due to safety and security concerns. A quick call could save you a wasted trip.

For electronic messages, the Bureau of Prisons uses the TRULINCS e-mail system. Your loved one must be approved to use TRULINCS before they can send or receive messages. Each person they want to communicate with must also give permission. TRULINCS works differently than regular email. Messages can only contain text (no attachments), and each message is limited to 13,000 characters, roughly two pages. Both inmates and contacts must consent to monitoring, and all messages are screened for content that could threaten public safety or facility operations. TRULINCS is funded through the Inmate Trust Fund, which comes from commissary and telephone profits plus TRULINCS fees, not taxpayer dollars.

Steps to Follow

• ✓ Call FCI McDowell before you travel to confirm the visiting schedule (603-342-4000).

• ✓ Do not mail money to FCI McDowell’s facility address. Mail-in funds must be addressed to the processing center in Des Moines, Iowa.

1. Confirm TRULINCS access is approved: The inmate must be approved to use TRULINCS before any electronic messages can be sent or received.
2. Give your permission as a contact: Each person the inmate wants to message has to consent before messaging can start.
3. Write messages in plain text: TRULINCS messages are text-only, no attachments.
4. Keep messages within the size limit: Messages are limited to 13,000 characters.
5. Assume messages are monitored: You and the inmate must consent to monitoring, and messages are screened for content that could threaten safety or security.

What to Verify

• ✓ Confirm the current visiting schedule by calling FCI McDowell (603-342-4000) before you leave.
• ✓ Confirm the correct process for sending money by mail, including using the Des Moines, Iowa processing center (not the facility address).

• ✓ Verify the inmate is approved for TRULINCS and can add you as a contact.
• ✓ Confirm you have provided the permission required to exchange TRULINCS messages.
• ✓ Double-check current message limits and format rules (text-only, 13,000-character limit).
• ✓ Remember you must consent to monitoring and that messages are screened.
• ✓ Ask about any current TRULINCS-related fees or funding details if costs come up.