FDC Philadelphia is a federal detention center in Philadelphia, PA, security level administrative. Like every Bureau of Prisons institution, it uses TRULINCS for inmate email. Here is how a family member sets up texting-style messaging with someone held there.

How to Text an Inmate at FDC Philadelphia (TRULINCS Setup, 2026)

• FacilityFDC Philadelphia
• LocationPhiladelphia, PA 19106
• Security levelAdministrative
• BOP regionNortheast Region
• Facility phone215-521-4000
• Messaging systemTRULINCS (inmate side) and CorrLinks (family side)

How messaging actually works at FDC Philadelphia

There is no app the prison installs and no phone number the inmate carries. Inmates at FDC Philadelphia use TRULINCS terminals on the unit to send and receive email with people on their approved contact list. On the outside, those messages show up through CorrLinks. The inmate pays per minute of terminal time; the family pays nothing to CorrLinks itself.

Jailbird Connect is a messenger for your own CorrLinks account. Complete initial sign-in during bridge setup; while the session remains valid, the bridge normally checks for replies every 3 to 5 minutes and submits queued messages. If CorrLinks requires sign-in or verification again, the app shows that the account needs attention. Your approved contacts become conversations with the messages collected by the bridge. Notifications require a supported device and your permission. Sent means a matching record was confirmed in the CorrLinks Sent folder, not that the recipient received or read it. Nothing is forwarded to a shared address and there is no company-owned mailbox in the middle.

Setup, step by step

1. Create a free CorrLinks account at corrlinks.com if you do not have one, using the email address your loved one has for you.
2. At the TRULINCS terminal they choose Public Messaging, then Contact List, then Request New Contact, and type your email address and name exactly. CorrLinks emails you a code; accept it once on corrlinks.com.
3. Sign up for Jailbird Connect, link your own CorrLinks account and complete the guided bridge sign-in. Your stored password is encrypted. Later sign-in or verification requests require a person to complete them.
4. Everyone who approved you shows up as a chat. Find anyone else with the BOP Inmate Locator (name or eight-digit register number) and add them to start writing before they approve.
5. Message from the Jailbird app on your phone. While connected, replies are normally checked every 3 to 5 minutes. Supported devices can notify you after a reply is collected when you have enabled alerts. The thread shows queue and provider-confirmation status; uncertain submissions wait for review without automatic resend.

What it costs

7-day free trial. No deposit. If your loved one has not connected within 72 hours of adding the address, you get a full refund from a button in the app. Printed photos are not for sale yet; when they are, they will be $0.59 each.

Rules that matter at FDC Philadelphia

All TRULINCS messages are monitored and retained by Bureau staff. The inmate may only exchange messages with people who accepted their contact request. Jailbird sends under your own CorrLinks account, only to the people who approved you, and forwards nothing anywhere else.

Mailing address for printed photos and letters: FDC Philadelphia, 700 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Always confirm the current inmate mail address on the official BOP page for FDC Philadelphia before sending.

Other federal facilities

See every Bureau of Prisons institution.