FCI Allenwood Phone Calls Through TRULINCS

TRULINCS/TRUFONE handles calls, CorrLinks handles email, both starting with the inmate.

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Overview

Phone calls at FCI Allenwood run through the BOP’s TRULINCS system (using TRUFONE for the phone component), while email runs through CorrLinks. In both cases, the inmate has to add you to their approved contact list first, families can’t initiate this from the outside.

Quick Facts

TRULINCS/TRUFONE handles phone calls.
CorrLinks handles email messaging.
The inmate must add your phone number and email address to their approved contact list first.
Funds for phone and email come from the same trust fund account used for commissary.
Calls and emails are monitored, except privileged communication with an attorney.
His TRUFONE PIN is his alone, sharing it with another inmate isn't allowed.

He Controls His Own Contact List

Nothing about getting approved to receive his calls or emails involves you filling out paperwork. He does it himself, from a TRULINCS terminal inside FCI Allenwood, entering your phone number and email address directly. That also means picking up the phone and calling the facility to request it won’t work, staff aren’t able to add you on his behalf.

One Account Funds Both Calls and Messages

There isn’t a separate pot of money for phone versus email, both draw against his trust fund account, the same balance that covers commissary. So a MoneyGram, Western Union, or USPS money order deposit through the standard process is doing double duty here, funding whatever mix of calls, CorrLinks messages, and commissary purchases he chooses.

Once You’re Approved

TRUFONE calls bill against that trust fund balance, and FCI Allenwood doesn’t post a specific rate or minute cap on its public materials, which is typical across BOP facilities generally rather than anything unusual here. CorrLinks runs in parallel for email, though it’s really more of a monitored short-message system than a full inbox, no attachments, no photos, just text.

His PIN Shouldn’t Be Shared

TRUFONE assigns each inmate an individual PIN, and it’s tied specifically to him in the system. Letting someone else place calls under his PIN, or using another inmate’s, breaks policy and risks his phone access, which is one more reason the whole setup runs through him rather than an outside request.

Keep Him Posted on New Numbers or Emails

If your phone number’s about to change, or you’re switching email providers, tell him ahead of time, in a letter, on a call, whenever you get the chance, so he can update his TRULINCS entry before the old information stops working. Letting it lapse quietly is a common reason families think they’ve been dropped from a list when really the contact info just went stale.

If a Relay Service Applies to Your Household

There’s nothing on FCI Allenwood’s public pages confirming whether TRUFONE supports incoming calls through a telecommunications relay service for a hearing or speech disability. If that’s something you need, ask directly at (570) 547-7950 rather than assuming the standard setup will accommodate it.

Assume Everything Is Monitored

Calls and CorrLinks messages get monitored and can be recorded, that’s the default. The one carve-out is a genuinely privileged call to his attorney of record, which isn’t treated the same way.

Calling Outside the Country

An international contact doesn’t require anything special beyond the correct country code, he adds it through TRULINCS the same way he’d add a domestic number.

A Blocked Call Can’t Be Fixed From Here

If someone on the receiving end accidentally blocks a call, FCI Allenwood can’t undo that block. Whoever blocked it needs to reach out to the BOP’s ICS support line at 800-506-8407 directly.

Your CorrLinks Invite Expired

Those invitations are only valid for 10 days. If more time than that has passed since he added you and you never got the email, it’s expired, there’s no resending it, he’ll need to re-add you to trigger a new one.

Something Changed and You’re Not Sure Why

If calls or messages that used to come through suddenly stop, the likeliest cause is that his TRULINCS entry for your information needs an update, not a problem on your end. There’s no facility phone line that can fix this for him, it runs through his terminal.

No Published Limit on How Many Contacts

FCI Allenwood doesn’t advertise a cap on how many people can be on someone’s approved list, but each addition still has to be entered one at a time from his terminal. If you’re waiting to hear from him and you’re one of several people trying to get added, it’s worth just asking directly whether you’re actually on the list yet rather than assuming a quiet week means bad news.

Right After He Arrives

A new arrival typically goes through an intake period before TRULINCS access is turned on, and FCI Allenwood doesn’t publish exactly how long that takes. If it’s been a stretch since a transfer or a new commitment and you still haven’t heard anything by phone or CorrLinks, a letter is usually your most dependable option in the meantime.

Video Calls

FCI Allenwood’s public pages don’t say one way or another whether video visitation exists here in addition to standard calls and in-person visits. If that’s relevant to your situation, ask directly when you call (570) 547-7950 instead of assuming either answer.

Phone Access Runs on the Facility’s Schedule

Calls aren’t available at all hours, access is built around count times and the daily housing unit routine. If an expected call doesn’t happen at the usual time, a scheduled count or a temporary lockdown is a far more likely explanation than anything being wrong.

When You’d Rather Just Write or Visit

Mail is always an option when a call or CorrLinks message isn’t happening, and in-person visiting opens up once your BP-A0629 has cleared with his counselor. FCI Allenwood shares its general location with 2 other facilities, so it’s worth double-checking that your visiting approval is specifically for FCI Allenwood, an approval tied to USP Allenwood or FCI Allenwood Low next door doesn’t carry over automatically.

A Real Emergency Is a Different Situation

An ordinary phone or email delay is annoying but not urgent. A death or serious illness in the family isn’t something to sit on while waiting for the standard TRULINCS contact process to catch up. Call (570) 547-7950 and ask for the chaplain or duty officer, that route exists specifically for news that can’t wait.

Rule Out a Transfer First

Before assuming his TRULINCS setup has a problem, check the BOP’s Inmate Locator to confirm he’s still actually at FCI Allenwood. Waiting on contact approval for someone who’s already moved to a different facility is a common mix-up, and it means his whole approval process needs to restart wherever he ended up.

Taking Yourself Off the List

If you’d rather not keep receiving calls or messages, call FCI Allenwood at (570) 547-7950 and ask about removal from his contact list. This is one thing that genuinely has to go through the facility, you can’t undo it from your own phone or inbox settings.

Families Also Ask

5 of 14 questions

Who provides phone service at FCI Allenwood?

TRULINCS, using TRUFONE for the phone component, handles calls. The inmate must add your number to their approved contact list first.

Phone Calls

How do I get added to someone's contact list?

You can't request this from the outside. The inmate adds your phone number and email through their TRULINCS terminal inside the facility.

Phone Calls

Is email available?

Yes, through CorrLinks, a text-based messaging system. It requires the same contact-list approval process as phone calls.

Phone Calls

How are phone and email funded?

From the same trust fund account used for commissary, funded through MoneyGram, Western Union, or a USPS money order to the BOP's centralized processing address.

Phone Calls

Are calls and emails monitored?

Almost always, yes, aside from privileged communication with an attorney of record.

Phone Calls

Can the inmate call international numbers?

Yes, through TRULINCS. The inmate adds the number with the correct country code to their contact list, the same process used for domestic numbers.

Phone Calls

I accidentally blocked a call. How do I unblock it?

You can't unblock it yourself. Call the BOP's ICS support line at 800-506-8407 to have the block removed.

Phone Calls

I never got a CorrLinks invitation email. What happened?

CorrLinks invitations expire after 10 days. If it's been longer, ask the inmate to re-add you as a contact so a new invitation goes out.

Phone Calls

How much does a call or email cost?

Both draw from the same trust fund account used for commissary. The BOP doesn't publish a flat per-minute rate on its public pages, ask FCI Allenwood at (570) 547-7950 for current details.

Phone Calls

How do I stop getting calls or messages I no longer want?

Contact FCI Allenwood at (570) 547-7950 to ask about removing yourself from the inmate's contact list. This has to go through the facility, not your own phone or email settings.

Phone Calls

What if calls or emails just stop coming through unexpectedly?

Confirm with the inmate that your contact information is still current on his TRULINCS account, since a data-entry error or an account issue on his end is the most common cause. There's no facility phone line that can add or remove you from the list on your behalf.

Phone Calls

Can he let a friend use his TRUFONE PIN to make a call?

No, his PIN is tied to his identity individually. Sharing it or using someone else's is a policy violation that puts his phone access at risk.

Phone Calls

How soon after he arrives can I expect a call?

There's typically an intake period before TRULINCS access opens, and FCI Allenwood doesn't publish a specific timeframe. Mail tends to be the more reliable option early on.

Phone Calls