Wire of Hope’s Prison Pen Pal Program provides many resources about prison correspondence, including tutorials to help you navigate through the different steps of the process of writing a prisoner online. You will find below the tutorials for the Prison Email System CorrLinks Text Chat.
⚠️ CorrLinks Text Chat is different from the regular CorrLinks mobile and desktop apps. Not all incarcerated individuals who use CorrLinks have access to the Text Chat app, and vice-versa. To use Text Chat, you will still need to visit the CorrLinks website to create an account, add your prison penpal to your contact list, and fund your email balance.
• Go to the CorrLinks website and click the yellow “Register” button.
• You should end up on the “Sign up” page. Fill out the form and submit your information. Simply follow the guided steps on the screen.
• Once your account is created, you will be directed to the main menu. Note that the CorrLinks’ main page may look different from one user to another, depending on the services and options offered. Keep in mind that the services can vary, depending on the State and/or the facility and/or the security level of the inmate.
• To add your prison penpal to your account and be able to write them, click on “Account Management” in the main menu.
• Click on “Manage My Inmate List.”
• Select the corresponding correctional agency (example: Nevada, for the Nevada Department of Corrections).
• You will be asked for your penpal’s correctional ID number. Note that CorrLinks may require 7 digits. Add leading zeros if necessary (e.g., “12345” becomes “0012345”).
• Click “Go” when you’re done; it will bring up your penpal’s details. In the “Relationship” field (marked in red), enter your relationship to your penpal. You can choose to receive email alerts when a new message is received (if allowed by the facility). Click “Accept.”
• The name and information about your prison penpal now appears in your “Subscribed Inmates” list. Click on “Return to Account Management Menu” and then on “Return to Main Menu.”
• In the main menu, click on “Recharge My Account.”
• Fill out the form with your information, and choose the amount you would like to fund your account with ($10, $15 or $25). Transaction fees and sales tax may apply. Click on “Next” and follow the guided steps on the screen to proceed with your payment. Now that you have credits assigned to your account, you can finally email a prisoner!
• Download and install the CorrLinks Text Chat app (from the Google Play Store or from the Apple App Store).
• Log in using the email address and password you used to create your CorrLinks account. If you receive the error message “You do not have any active CorrLinks Text Chat contacts,” it means that the contacts you added do not currently have access to the Text Chat app.
• Once logged in, you will see your CorrLinks balance and contact list. You can also add funds through the app, but please note: additional fees may apply when funding from the app directly.
• Tap the name of the contact you wish to message. You will see the cost per message, your available balance, and a text box to type your message. Once your message is ready, tap the arrow icon to send.
Your message has been sent!