Setting Up TRULINCS Email with a Loved One at FCI Terminal Island
TRULINCS is the Bureau of Prisons' internal messaging system. Before you can exchange messages with someone at FCI Terminal Island, you'll need to complete an approval step. Once that's done, follow the system's content limits to make sure your messages go through.
TRULINCS messaging doesn't start the moment you want it to. Your loved one first needs approval to use the system. Then, for each person they want to contact, that person has to grant permission before any messages can flow. Waiting and nothing's coming through? This mutual-approval step is usually why. Both the inmate's access and your permission need to be in place.
Reminder: Messaging is a two-way approval process. If you haven’t received anything yet, ask your loved one to add you and make sure your permission step is completed.
TRULINCS messages are plain text only. No attachments - photos, PDFs, screenshots, and documents won't go through. There's also a size cap: each message maxes out at 13,000 characters, roughly two pages of text. If you're used to regular email, this is the biggest adjustment. Keep it simple and stay within the limit.
Tip: Stick to text-only messages and watch your length. If you need to share a lot, split it into multiple messages rather than pushing past the 13,000-character limit.
TRULINCS isn't funded by taxpayer dollars. The service runs entirely on the Inmate Trust Fund, which comes from profits on inmate purchases - commissary, phone services - and the fees inmates pay to use TRULINCS itself.
- Confirm you’re added and permitted - Have your loved one add you as a TRULINCS contact, and make sure your permission is given so the mutual-approval requirement is met.
- Write messages that fit the system - Send text-only messages (no attachments) and keep each message within the 13,000-character limit so it can be delivered as expected.
Quick check: Before you assume something is “wrong,” confirm approval status first - then re-check that your message is plain text and under the character limit.
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