Find your loved one
Every federal inmate is listed in the Bureau of Prisons locator. This searches it live. Look them up, then link your CorrLinks account and the chat is there.
Where your words actually go
There is no app inside the prison and no phone your person carries. Federal inmates use TRULINCS terminals to email the contacts they have approved, and that mail travels through CorrLinks. Jailbird Connect is the family side of that system, done like a messenger instead of a webmail login. Nothing is forwarded to a shared mailbox and no number is rented in your name.
Your phone
You type in the app, the same as any messenger. Nothing to install.
Jailbird Connect
Uses your linked CorrLinks session on a dedicated bridge, submits queued messages and collects replies while connected.
CorrLinks and TRULINCS
Your own account, your own approved contacts. Bureau monitoring, review and delivery rules still apply.
The terminal inside
They read it and reply on the TRULINCS terminal exactly as before. Nothing changes on their side.
Link your CorrLinks account
Link your own CorrLinks account and complete the initial sign-in during bridge setup. We reuse that session while it stays valid. If CorrLinks asks for sign-in or a verification check again, we show you what needs attention.
Your contacts become chats
Your approved CorrLinks contacts become conversations, with the messages the bridge has collected. Add someone from the BOP locator to draft a message while you wait for approval.
Message like texting
Conversation threads, queue status and unread badges. While connected, the bridge normally checks for replies every 3 to 5 minutes. Enable notifications on a supported device for reply alerts. Messages are text only.
The waiting is the worst part. This is the part we can fix.
You stop refreshing a webmail page
While connected, Jailbird normally checks for replies every 3 to 5 minutes. Supported devices can alert you after a reply is collected when you have enabled notifications. Session interruptions and Bureau review can delay messages; this is not instant messaging.
See whether your message is queued, being submitted or confirmed in the CorrLinks Sent folder. Sent does not mean delivered or read. If submission cannot be confirmed, the message is held for review so a retry does not accidentally send it twice.
It works the way your other messages work
Conversations down the left, the thread on the right, bubbles, days, unread counts, search. On a phone it is one column with a back button. Nothing to learn and nothing to install.
Your CorrLinks password is encrypted with AES-256-GCM before it is stored and is only opened inside the bridge, on a machine we run, when needed to operate your linked account. Unlink in settings and it is deleted.
Look at it before you pay for it
Open the practice workspace with a fictional family and try the conversation flow. Practice messages stay in the demo and do not reach CorrLinks. The images below show the messenger layout.
What the other services charge, and what they give back
Every price below is taken from the service's own site. We are not the cheapest by a dollar. We are the only one you can get your money back from by pressing a button.
| Service | Per month | Free trial | Deposit | If it never works |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jailbird Connectthis service | $14.99 | 7 days | None | Button in the app |
| GorillaTexta referral front for ContactMeASAP | $20 - $30 | None | Prepaid | Non-refundable |
| ContactMeASAPPublished terms compared below | $20 - $30 | None | Prepaid | Non-refundable |
| Parakeet ChatCorrLinks to Telegram or SMS | $14.99+ | 14 days | None | Not published |
| FedConXrelay address is a plain Gmail | $14.95 | Free tier | $10 minimum | Non-refundable |
Prices and terms read from each service's own published pages on 8 September 2026. GorillaText's own footer calls it a referral service and its checkout posts to ContactMeASAP. We have no opinion on whether their software works; we are pointing at their refund terms, which are published and say no.
One plan, one price, and a way out
One plan. It starts with a 7-day free trial and cancels in one click.
Connect
Your CorrLinks conversations in one messenger. Link your account, complete sign-in, then read and reply here while connected.
- Unlimited messages, both directions
- Guided CorrLinks setup and clear reconnection notices
- Queue and provider-confirmation status on every message
- Reply notifications on supported devices with permission
- Cancel in one click, no deposit, no contract
No deposit and no minimum. If no reply has reached you within 72 hours of linking your CorrLinks account, press "I never connected" in the app and you get a full refund, no questions. Printed photos are not for sale yet. Federal Bureau of Prisons facilities only at launch. See the terms, privacy policy and refund policy.
Straight answers
- How is this different from the other services?
- Most of them hand your loved one a shared email address or a phone number that belongs to the company. Jailbird uses your own CorrLinks account: your approved contacts and the messages collected by the bridge, in a messenger so you are not logging in and refreshing a webmail page all day. No deposit, a real trial, a refund window, and a status on every message.
- Is my CorrLinks password safe?
- It is encrypted (AES-256-GCM) before it is stored and only opened inside our bridge, on a machine we control, when needed to operate your linked account. Unlink from settings and it is deleted.
- Does the inmate pay anything?
- TRULINCS charges the inmate for terminal time, the same as any email they send. Nothing on our side is billed to them.
- Can I send photos?
- Not yet. Attachments never reach a TRULINCS terminal, so photos have to be printed and mailed to the facility. That service is being built and is not sold today; nothing on the Connect plan charges for it.
- Which facilities?
- Federal facilities that support CorrLinks and TRULINCS, subject to contact approval and messaging access. See the facility list. State prisons and county jails use different systems and are not supported at launch.
- Are messages private?
- TRULINCS messages are subject to Bureau monitoring and retention in both directions. Do not treat them as private correspondence.