How to send messages, photos, and packages
At USP Thomson, all personal phone calls go through the Bureau's Inmate Telephone System (ITS). Third-party or alternative calling arrangements aren't allowed. Calls are monitored and recorded under ordinary circumstances, though attorney calls may be unmonitored in certain situations under Bureau rules. Each call is typically capped at 15 minutes, so plan for shorter conversations and confirm any unit-specific limits before counting on a set schedule. The approved telephone list is usually created during admission and orientation and generally holds up to 30 numbers. Recipients are acknowledged as agreeing to receive calls. For video visits, electronic messaging, and prepaid account management, register through the approved communications vendor and follow their instructions.
Search for a loved one and send messages and photos in minutes.
Inmates place personal calls through the Bureau’s Inmate Telephone System (ITS). They can call only numbers on their approved telephone list, and toll-free and credit-card numbers are prohibited.
Calls are monitored and recorded in ordinary circumstances. Attorney calls may be unmonitored in certain circumstances as permitted by Bureau rules.
Telephone lists are typically created during admission and orientation and usually hold up to 30 numbers. The inmate adds contacts during that process, and recipients are acknowledged as agreeing to receive calls.
Federal prison phone calls come with rules that can catch families off guard. Here's what BOP policy says about monitoring, time limits, who pays, and which call types aren't allowed.
First Step Act Time Credits—usually called FTCs—let someone earn credits they can use to move into prerelease custody sooner (like home confinement) or, in some cases, shorten the supervised-release portion of their sentence. There's one important cap: even when someone qualifies to apply FTCs toward supervised release, the maximum is 365 days.
Staying in touch matters, and this facility does allow phone contact. A few rules around call routing, monitoring, and time limits will shape what you're able to do.
