Penmate Inmate Support Guides
trufone-call-recordings-fci-petersburg-med

How Long Are Phone Call Recordings Kept? TRUFONE retention explained for families

Wondering what gets recorded, how long it's kept, or whether an old call can still be pulled? Here's how the Bureau of Prisons' phone system works and what the retention timelines actually mean for you.

• 2 min read • bop.gov
How Long Are Phone Call Recordings Kept? TRUFONE retention explained for families

TRUFONE is the Bureau of Prisons' centralized system for managing inmate phone communications. It stores call data along with contact information from approved calling lists - names, phone numbers, and demographic details. The system also uses voice verification to confirm caller identity, helping the BOP monitor communications securely.

TRUFONE call recordings are stored temporarily. Under the documented retention rule, recordings are deleted from the system after 180 days - unless they’re still needed for legal or administrative purposes.

Note: The "legal or administrative purposes" exception is why some recordings stick around longer than 180 days. If a recording needs to be preserved for a case or internal process, it won't be deleted on the normal schedule.

Not all phone-related records follow the same timeline as call recordings. Certain scanned TRUFACS files - like BP Form-199s used for authorizations - are classified as temporary and destroyed 90 days after verification.

Other BOP systems have their own schedules. Records in the CTS system fall under GRS-23 and are destroyed when they're 2 years old, or 2 years after the latest entry - whichever applies. The bottom line: phone-related information can live in multiple places, and each system follows different retention rules.

Reminder: Don’t assume the 180-day TRUFONE rule applies to every phone-related record. Scanned authorization files and CTS records follow different timelines.

How Long Are Phone Call Recordings Kept? TRUFONE retention explained for families

For most families, timing is what matters. If the call you're concerned about happened within the last 180 days, it may still exist in TRUFONE. Older than that? It's likely been deleted - unless it was flagged for legal or administrative reasons.

  1. Figure out the call window - Write down the approximate date range of the call(s) you’re asking about, because the standard TRUFONE deletion timeline is 180 days.
  2. Act quickly if timing matters - If you believe a recording could be relevant to a legal or administrative issue, don’t wait; the longer you wait, the more likely it is that the normal deletion rule applies.
  3. Coordinate through the right channel - If you’re working with an attorney or investigator, share the basics (dates, parties, and why the call matters) so they can make an appropriate request tied to TRUFONE’s centralized phone data.

Find an Inmate at FCI Petersburg Med, VA

Search for a loved one and send messages and photos in minutes.

Exact spelling helps find results faster

Free to search · Used by families nationwide
Woman using phone to connect with loved one

More from FCI Petersburg Med, VA

visiting-fci-petersburg-med-approval-checklist

Getting approved to visit someone at FCI Petersburg Med: step-by-step (forms, background check, ID, and entry logging)

Getting approved to visit at FCI Petersburg Med starts with paperwork the inmate sends you, followed by a background check, then ID verification every time you walk through the door. Here's how each step works.

phone-calls-monitored-fci-petersburg-med

How phone calls from FCI Petersburg Med are monitored (what is recorded and how long recordings are kept)

If you're getting calls from someone at FCI Petersburg Med, expect them to be monitored and recorded through the Bureau of Prisons' TRUFONE phone system. Here's what that actually means - including how long those recordings stick around.

find-someone-fci-petersburg-med-bop-locator

How to find someone at FCI Petersburg Med using the BOP inmate locator

The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Inmate Locator is your go-to tool for finding anyone incarcerated in the federal system from 1982 to today - including someone who may be at FCI Petersburg Med. When you search, you're looking for two things: whether the person is currently in BOP custody, and which facility they're assigned to. The locator also displays release dates, though these aren't always current.