What Happens to Your Phone Call After 180 Days: How the BOP Handles Recorded Conversations

The BOP's TRUFONE phone system stores inmate call recordings. Your conversation isn't just happening in the moment - it exists as a recording in the system for a period of time after the call ends.

TRUFONE also stores the phone numbers on an inmate's approved calling list. The system tracks which numbers someone in custody can call, and those numbers stay in the phone system's records.

Here's something families don't always expect: voice verification. TRUFONE stores voice-biometric data linked to phone use, which confirms the caller's identity when an inmate picks up the phone.

The system also tracks TRUFONE account balance information - so beyond the calls themselves, account details tied to phone use are stored too.

The Bureau of Prisons doesn't record calls informally. It has legal authority to monitor and record inmate telephone calls. TRUFONE documentation cites Department of Justice statutes authorizing monitoring and recording (including 18 U.S.C. 2510(5)(a)(ii) and 18 U.S.C. 2511(2)(c)), plus BOP regulations at 28 C.F.R. § 540.100 et seq.

Here's the timeline that matters: TRUFONE deletes call recordings after 180 days - unless they're still needed for legal or administrative purposes. So 180 days is the default, but not a hard guarantee in every case.

• ✓ An ongoing legal matter where a recording is still required
• ✓ An administrative purpose that requires the recording to be kept
• ✓ A law-enforcement or investigative need tied to monitoring/recording authority

If a recording is kept past 180 days, the reason matters: it's being retained because it's still needed for a legal or administrative purpose. TRUFONE's retention policy doesn't promise a separate "extended" timeframe - retention is tied to when the recording is no longer required.

For most families, the takeaway is straightforward: don't assume a call recording will still exist after 180 days. The BOP stores recordings, but the standard practice is deletion after that window - unless someone preserved it for legal or administrative reasons.

Keep in mind that the recording isn't the only thing TRUFONE tracks. Even after a call recording is deleted, the system still holds other data: phone numbers on the approved calling list, voice verification (biometric) data tied to phone use, and TRUFONE account balance information. If you're trying to sort out what happened with phone access, those details can still matter.

• ✓ Treat every call like it may be recorded and stored, because TRUFONE stores call recordings
• ✓ If you think a recording could matter for a legal or administrative issue, act quickly - 180 days is the standard deletion window
• ✓ Keep your own notes (date, approximate time, and who called whom) so you can identify the call within the 180-day period if questions come up