CorrLinks

Messages across a correctional facility connection

CorrLinks is a communication app for family and friends who want to exchange electronic messages with someone held at a participating correctional institution. It is intended for people whose contact is set up through a corrections agency that works with the CorrLinks service; it is not a general-purpose messaging app.

Check that the institution participates

Availability depends on the facility. CorrLinks supports institutions associated with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, two U.S. Navy brigs, and state corrections departments in Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, and Wisconsin. A person’s institution must allow CorrLinks communication for the service to be useful. Using the app also requires a paid Premier Account subscription.

Designed for mobile correspondence

On a mobile device, the app can notify you when a new message arrives and keeps previously read messages in your inbox, so they do not need to be downloaded again. It can retain messages on the device for 60 days; the service’s server retains them for 30 days. The account can be attached to as many as three mobile devices across Android and iOS. These features suit people who check correspondence on a phone and want fewer repeated steps between messages.

A focused, specific service

CorrLinks is published by Advanced Technologies Group, LLC. Its 1,000,000+ installs suggest that many people use it, though the rating is more mixed: 3.54 out of 5 from 9,247 ratings. The app’s purpose is narrow and depends on both facility participation and a paid account, so it is best considered by people who already know their correspondent can use CorrLinks.