Stay in touch
Studies show that when inmates maintain relationships with friends and family,
it greatly reduces the risk they will recidivate.
Phone Calls
We extend telephone privileges to inmates to help them maintain ties with their families and other community contacts. Third-party or other alternative call arrangements are not permitted ensuring inmates do not have the opportunity to use phones for criminal or other inappropriate purposes.
Who Pays?
Ordinarily, the inmate pays for the calls; but in some cases the receiving party pays.
Restrictions
Limitations and conditions may be imposed upon an inmate's telephone privileges to ensure they are consistent with our correctional management responsibilities.
Monitoring
A notice is posted next to each telephone advising inmates that calls are monitored. Unmonitored calls to attorneys are permitted in certain circumstances.
Electronic messaging has become a standard form of communication within most American homes and businesses, and it can now be used to help inmates stay connected to their families. The Trust Fund Limited Inmate Computer System (TRULINCS) application enables electronic messages to be exchanged between inmates and the general public in a secured manner. With the inmate's eventual release, maintaining family ties will improve the likelihood of a successful reentry into the community, thus reducing the potential for recidivism.
Who Pays?
No taxpayer dollars are used for this service. Funding is provided entirely by the Inmate Trust Fund, which is maintained by profits from inmate purchases of commissary products, telephone services, and the fees inmates pay for using TRULINCS.
Restrictions
- Each inmate must be approved to use the system and each person that an inmate wants to communicate with must give their permission to do so.
- Inmates access to TRULINCS is controlled and inmates do not have access to the internet.
- Messages can only contain text and no attachments are permitted.
- Message size is limited to 13,000 characters (approximately two pages worth of text).
Monitoring
Inmates and their contacts must consent to monitoring prior to using the system. In addition, all messages are screened for content that could jeopardize the public or the safety, security, or orderly operation of the facility.
Sending Mail
The BOP encourages inmates to write to family, friends, and other community contacts to maintain these ties during incarceration. Written correspondence is classified as either general or special mail.
General Correspondence
"General correspondence" is opened and inspected by staff for both contraband and content that might threaten the security or good order of the institution.
Special Mail
Special incoming mail that is specially marked as such, can only be opened only in the presence of the inmate. It too will be inspected for physical contraband and the qualification of any enclosures as special mail.
Inmates may also receive certain commercial publications from the community. The BOP permits an inmate to subscribe to or receive publications without prior approval as long as the incoming publication is not detrimental to the security, discipline, or good order of the institution, or facilitate criminal activity.
Sending Packages
Inmates are not allowed to receive packages from home without prior written approval from the inmate's unit team or authorized staff member at the institution. The only packages an inmate may receive from home are those containing release clothing and authorized medical devices. However, inmates may receive magazines, hard and paperback books directly from the publisher (For more information see: Policy on Incoming Publications ).
Sending Money
The following three funding methods apply to inmates incarcerated at FBOP-managed facilities.
Sending funds using MoneyGram
Inmates can receive funds at a BOP-managed facility, which are deposited into their commissary accounts. You can send an inmate funds electronically using MoneyGram's ExpressPayment Program.
- Funds are received and processed seven days per week, including holidays.
- Funds sent between 7:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. EST are posted within 2-4 hours.
- Funds sent after 9:00 p.m. EST are posted at 7:00 a.m. EST the following morning.
To send funds using this method, please read and follow these steps carefully:
- Wait until an inmate has physically arrived at a Federal Bureau of Prisons' facility. Locate Inmate Whereabouts
- Gather the information you'll need. View Details
- Send the funds from a MoneyGram location or over the internet. View Details
NOTICE: It's your responsibility to send the funds to the correct inmate. If the information you provide is incorrect, your transaction might be rejected; or worse, the funds may be deposited into the wrong account and not returned.
You'll need the following information:- Account Number: Inmate's eight-digit register number with no spaces or dashes, followed immediately by the inmate's last name (example: 12345678DOE).
- Company Name: Federal Bureau of Prisons
- City & State: Washington, DC
- Receive Code is always: 7932
- Beneficiary: Inmate's full committed name
At a MoneyGram location
Locate the nearest agent by calling 1-800-926-9400 or visiting: www.moneygram.com.
You'll need to complete a MoneyGram ExpressPayment Blue Form (see a sample form).
You can pay with cash.
Online
Please visit https://www.moneygram.com/mgo/us/en/paybills and enter the receive code 7932 or Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Enter the Receive Code (7932) and the amount you are sending (up to $300).
First time users will have to set up a profile and account.
A MasterCard or Visa credit card is required.
- I have a question or concern about a MoneyGram transfer.
- Any questions or concerns regarding MoneyGram transfers should be directed to MoneyGram.
- Where can I find additional/general information?
- For additional details regarding the Inmate Commissary and deposit procedures, please read the Trust Fund/Deposit Fund Manual.
- Who can I contact with questions about a specific deposit?
- You may contact BOP staff at 202-307-2712 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. ET.
Sending funds using Western Union
Inmates can receive funds at a BOP-managed facility, which are deposited into their commissary accounts. You can send an inmate funds electronically using Western Union's Quick Collect Program.
- Funds are received and processed seven days per week, including holidays.
- Funds sent between 7:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. EST are posted within 2-4 hours.
- Funds sent after after 9:00 p.m. EST are posted at 7:00 a.m. EST the following morning.
To send funds using this method, please read and follow these steps carefully:
- Wait until an inmate has physically arrived at a Federal Bureau of Prisons' facility. Locate Inmate Whereabouts
- Gather the information you'll need. View Details
- Send the funds from a Western Union location, over the phone, or online. View Details
NOTICE: It's your responsibility to send the funds to the correct inmate. If the information you provide is incorrect, your transaction might be rejected; or worse, the funds may be deposited into the wrong account and not returned.
You'll need the following information:- Account Number: Inmate's eight-digit register number with no spaces or dashes, followed immediately by the inmate's last name (example: 12345678DOE)
- Attention Line: Inmate's full committed name
- Code City is always: FBOP, DC
Download the Send2Corrections mobile application
Search "Send2Corrections" in the Apple App Store (Apple iOS) or the Google Play Store (Android devices). Use existing Western Union account login or create a login. A credit/debit card will be required to complete a payment online.You can also initiate a payment via mobile app and pay later with cash or payment card, at a Western Union agent location.
Online
Please visit www.send2corrections.com A credit/debit card will be required to complete a payment online. You can also initiate a payment via mobile app and pay later with cash or payment card, at a Western Union agent location.
At a Western Union location
Locate the nearest agent by using our agent locator or by calling 1-800-325-6000. You can pay with cash. Debit cards are accepted at select locations. You will need to enter the individual's eight-digit register number followed by the last name, with no spaces or dashes (i.e., 12345678SMITH). Facility name is "Federal Bureau of Prisons". Code city is "FBOP DC".
Over the phone
Call 1-800-634-3422 and choose option 2. A credit/debit card will be required.
- I have a question or concern about a Western Union transfer.
- Any questions or concerns regarding Western Union transfers should be directed to Western Union.
- Where can I find additional/general information?
- For additional details regarding the Inmate Commissary and deposit procedures, please read the Trust Fund/Deposit Fund Manual.
- Who can I contact with questions about a specific deposit?
- You may contact BOP staff at 202-307-2712 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. ET.
Sending funds using the United States Postal Service
Family and friends may deposit funds into an inmate's Commissary account by sending an acceptable negotiable instrument to the FBOP's centralized Lockbox via the United States Postal Service.
Please read and follow these steps carefully:
- Wait until an inmate has physically arrived at a FBOP-managed facility. Locate Inmate Whereabouts
- Select how you will send money through the mail - we only accept money orders, U.S. government checks, certified/cashier's checks, or a bank draft. Please do not send cash or personal checks, they will not be accepted. Click on view details to see what information needs to be provided on what you send in the mail. View Details
- Send the acceptable negotiable instrument through the US Postal Service to the centralized Lockbox. View Details
Only Send an Acceptable Negotiable Instrument:
Money Order, U.S. Government Check, or Cashier's check/certified check/bank draft
- The inmate's full committed name (no nicknames) AND eight-digit register number must be printed legibly on all negotiable instruments AND on the outside of the envelope that contains the negotiable instrument.
- Non-U.S. postal money orders and non-government checks will be placed on a 15-day hold.
- Foreign negotiable instruments payable in U.S. dollars are held for 45 days.
NO Personal Checks
NO Cash
NO Additional Items
Additional items (non-funds intended for delivery to the inmate) will be disposed of.
123 Main St.
Herndon, VA 22071
Return Address
Your name and return address must appear on the upper left-hand corner of the envelope to ensure that the funds can be returned in the event that they cannot be posted to the inmate's account.
Delivery Address
Send the funds to the address above. Replace the second line with the inmate's valid, full committed name. Replace the third line with the inmate's eight digit register number.
Postage
After ensuring that the inmate has physically arrived at a FBOP-managed facility, send the money order or other acceptable negotiable instrument - but don't forget to add a stamp.
- It's been a reasonable amount of time since I mailed the funds, why hasn't he/she received it yet?
- If sufficient time has passed for your mail to have reached Des Moines, Iowa, you should initiate a tracer with whoever sold/issued the negotiable instrument.
- Why were my funds returned?
- The funds could not be posted to the inmate's account. This is most likely because the deposit and/or envelope did not contain valid inmate information. For example, you may have used an inmate's alias rather than the name we have on record or the inmate's register number was missing or incorrect.
- Where can I get more information?
- For additional details regarding the Inmate Commissary and deposit procedures, please read the Trust Fund/Deposit Fund Manual.
- Who can I contact with questions about a specific deposit?
- You may contact BOP staff at 202-307-2712 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. ET.