How to deposit funds, commissary, and payment options
FCI Terre Haute accepts electronic deposits through MoneyGram ExpressPayment. You'll need to follow facility-specific account formatting and include the required receive code. MoneyGram lists the Federal Bureau of Prisons as an approved biller and accepts in-person cash or online card payments. Many deposits post the same day. Funds are processed seven days a week: transactions sent between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. EST generally post within 2–4 hours, while later transactions post the next morning at 7:00 a.m. EST. Commissary accounts let inmates buy items or services not provided as basic care. Recent Trust Fund updates include healthier commissary options, standardized female/transgender items or SPO, and added TRULINCS language. Before paying, double-check the inmate's name and ID number and confirm which deposit channels are accepted.
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MoneyGram is a fast way to add money to a federal inmate's commissary account—but only if you fill out every field exactly how the Bureau of Prisons requires. Here's the formatting that matters most and what to expect for posting times.
Use MoneyGram ExpressPayment and follow FCI Terre Haute’s facility-specific account-format and receive-code instructions. MoneyGram lists the Federal Bureau of Prisons as a biller and supports in-person cash or online card payments, with many transactions posting the same day.
MoneyGram funds are received and processed seven days per week at FCI Terre Haute. Transfers sent between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. EST generally post within 2–4 hours; later transactions post the following morning at 7:00 a.m. EST.
Money in the Trust Fund/commissary account can be used to purchase items or services not provided as basic care. The program also aims to keep commissary, telephone, and laundry services efficient and reliable, and recent updates added healthier commissary options plus standardized female/transgender items or SPO.
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When a child is dealing with death, a good book gives you a shared “third thing” to look at together—so the conversation isn’t all on them (or all on you). Age-appropriate stories can put plain language to big, confusing ideas like “death,” “funeral,” and “missing someone,” and they can show kids that a lot of feelings can be true at the same time: sadness, anger, worry, even moments of play. Books also help because kids often ask the same questions again and again. Re-reading lets them revisit the hard parts at their own pace, and it gives you a steady way to answer honestly without overexplaining. You don’t have to get every word perfect—what matters most is being present, naming what’s happening, and making it safe for your child to talk (or not talk) when they’re ready.
When you need to explain death to a young child, a picture book can give you the words when yours run out. Here are a few gentle, age-appropriate titles for ages 4–8, plus practical ways to use them—especially for families connected to FCI Terre Haute.
