--- title: "Texting an Inmate for the First Time: A Walkthrough" slug: "texting-an-inmate-first-time-walkthrough" description: "How to text an inmate for the first time: a simple walkthrough of setup, the first message, what can go wrong, and what to expect in federal prison." canonical: "https://textinganinmate.com/texting-an-inmate-first-time-walkthrough/" markdown_url: "https://textinganinmate.com/texting-an-inmate-first-time-walkthrough.md" type: "blog" category: "Post" published_at: "2026-10-13T06:06:46+00:00" updated_at: "2026-10-13T06:06:46+00:00" robots: "index,follow" --- # Texting an Inmate for the First Time: A Walkthrough Yes, you can text an inmate in federal prison. With InmateDB, the person inside sends a text from a TRULINCS terminal, it arrives on your phone like any other message, and you reply from your normal texting app. The catch is that you cannot be the one to start the conversation. The inmate has to text you first. Everything below follows from that one rule, so it is worth understanding before you sign up for anything. This walkthrough is for federal Bureau of Prisons facilities. If your loved one is in a state prison or county jail, the setup is different and you will need to check that facility's website or the state DOC to find out which messaging provider they use. ## What has to happen before the first text arrives Two things have to be true, and they happen on two different sides of the wall. On your side, you need to find the inmate and set up an account. You can search by name or by their BOP register number, which looks like 12345-678. If you do not know the register number, the BOP inmate locator on bop.gov will give it to you. Once you have found them, you start the free trial or pick a plan. This is the part you control, and it takes a few minutes. On their side, the inmate has to add one InmateDB contact inside TRULINCS, the terminal system they already use for electronic messages. That step cannot be done for them, and it cannot be done by you. If they have never used the terminal, or they have not been told to add the contact, nothing will arrive no matter what you do on your end. This is where most first-timers get stuck. They sign up, wait, and hear nothing, then assume the service is broken. Usually the inmate simply has not added the contact yet, or has not been to a terminal since you set things up. ## How the inmate actually sends a text From the TRULINCS terminal, the inmate writes a message the way they would write an email. The difference is the subject line. They put your phone number in the subject line, and the message itself in the body. That is what routes it to your phone instead of to a CorrLinks inbox. CorrLinks is the outside-facing side of the same federal email system. If your loved one has used CorrLinks before, the terminal will feel familiar. The subject-line phone number is the only new habit they need to learn, and it is easy to get wrong the first time. If the first attempt does not reach you, ask them to double-check that the number in the subject line is complete and correct, including the area code. ## What you will see, and how you reply Once the inmate sends that first message, it shows up on your phone as a text. You do not need to install anything. You reply from your normal texting app, the same way you would reply to anyone. If you would rather not use your phone's messaging app, you can also use the InmateDB website, the InmateDB app, or Telegram. All of them reach the same conversation. Pick whichever you will actually check. One thing to know about the plans: on the $9.99/month Texting plan, messages are sent from a shared number. That means you can reply once the inmate has texted you first, but you cannot start a new thread on your own. If you want a personal number that anyone can text first, that is the $19.99/month Full Access plan, which also adds email and more than fifteen other apps. The $14.99/month Texting + AI plan sits in between, adding AI chat, news, sports, weather and trivia. Every new account starts with a 3-day free trial, so you can see how it feels before paying. ## The first week: what usually goes wrong Almost every problem in the first week comes down to one of these: - **No message arrives at all.** The inmate has not added the InmateDB contact in TRULINCS, or has not been to a terminal since you signed up. This is the most common one by far. - **The message goes to the wrong place.** The phone number was typed into the body instead of the subject line, or was missing a digit. - **You reply and hear nothing back.** Replies are not instant. The inmate only sees your message when they next get to a terminal, which depends on their schedule, the facility's schedule, and how much demand there is for the terminals that day. - **You are in a state prison or county jail.** InmateDB works with federal facilities that use CorrLinks, about 93% of federal facilities. It does not work in state prisons or county jails. For those, check the DOC or jail website to find the provider they use. There is one more thing worth saying plainly: facility staff can monitor messages. Write as if a stranger will read it, because one might. That does not mean you cannot be warm or specific. It means save anything you would not want read aloud for a phone call or a visit. ## Setting expectations for the rhythm of it The hardest adjustment for families is that this is not a real-time conversation. It is closer to a slow exchange of notes. You might send three messages in an evening and get one reply the next time they reach a terminal. That is normal, and it is not a sign that something is wrong. What helps is writing the way you would write a letter that happens to arrive faster. Ask questions they can answer in a couple of lines. Tell them what is happening at home in small, concrete details, because that is the stuff they miss most. Avoid sending anything urgent through this channel, since you cannot control when it is read. If you want a fuller picture of how families use this day to day, our guide on [what loved ones need to know first](https://textinganinmate.com/texting-inmate-loved-ones-guide/) covers the habits that make it work. And if the login step is the part tripping you up, [what to actually expect the first time you log in](https://textinganinmate.com/texting-an-inmate-login-expectations/) walks through it. For anything about Bureau of Prisons policy itself, including visiting rules, contact limits, mail rules, money transfers or release dates, check bop.gov or ask the facility directly. Those details vary and change, and the facility is the only source that is current for your situation. ## Quick answers ### Can I text first, or does the inmate have to? The inmate has to text you first on the standard Texting plan, because messages go out from a shared number. Once they have, you reply normally from your phone. If you want a personal number that anyone can text first, that is the Full Access plan. ### Do I need to download an app? No. Your normal texting app works. You can also use the InmateDB website, the InmateDB app, or Telegram if you prefer one of those. ### Why has nothing arrived yet? Nine times out of ten, the inmate has not added the InmateDB contact in TRULINCS, or has not been to a terminal since you signed up. Ask them to confirm the contact is added and that your number is in the subject line, not the body. Texting An Inmate is made by the team behind InmateDB. If you are ready to start, [find your loved one on InmateDB](https://inmatedb.com/search), set up the trial, and then let them know they need to add the contact on their end. That last step is the one that starts everything.