FAQs

Yes. Every Verified TextBridge account gets one stable assigned number mapped to your resident — no shared rotating pool, no email swapping. Friends and family all text that same number.

You pay $4.99 once to reserve and set up the number. Monthly delivery billing begins only after activation — the first verified exchange — works. If the route can’t be activated, your setup fee can be credited or refunded.

Everyone texts the same assigned number. Each person verifies their own phone once, and replies route back to the right contact. No arbitrary routing — verified contacts only.

Through the facility’s approved channel, not the open internet. They put a handle in the subject line — @legal, @ged, @esl, @reentry, @dictionary — and the guardrailed assistant replies with plain-language education. It works once the route is active and is subject to facility monitoring. To give a resident their own way in, choose TextBridge + Legal/Learning.

We keep your number reserved and pause delivery billing until the route is active again. You’re never charged a monthly delivery plan for a paused or blocked route.

Messages are encrypted in transit and handled under each facility’s rules, through the approved communication system. Risky messages are checked, route status is visible, and only verified contacts can send or receive.

Start with the free Rescue + Inmate Lookup. You enter a name, register or ID number, and facility; we match a facility and point you to the official BOP Inmate Locator to confirm. Custody and release information should always be confirmed there — it can change.

No. OfficialPath is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, CorrLinks, ViaPath, Securus, JPay, or any agency or provider unless a written agreement says otherwise.

Family Companion ($9/mo) is support only — message drafting, setup help, refund and dispute help — and sells day one. Verified TextBridge is the assigned-number two-way texting product, billed only after activation works.

Yes. You can pause or cancel from your account or by emailing support. Cancellation stops future renewals; see the Refund Policy for how setup fees and delivery billing are handled.

SMS is billed in chunks of about 160 characters. A short text is one segment; a longer message uses several. Your plan includes a monthly bundle of segments.

Anything aimed at victims, witnesses, jurors, co-defendants, or staff; coded or filter-evading messages; threats or intimidation; contraband, escape, or security content; and people lookup, betting, crypto, or web requests. See the Acceptable Use Policy.