Securus eMessaging: What to Expect Before You Pay

Securus eMessaging is a message service offered through Securus at some jails and state facilities, and whether your loved one can use it depends entirely on the facility they are held in. Before you create an account or add money, confirm two things: that the facility uses Securus, and that the inmate has eMessaging turned on. If either answer is no, no amount of signing up will get a message through. This review covers what the signup and first message actually look like, where families usually get stuck, and what to check so you are not paying for a service your facility does not support.

Who decides whether eMessaging is available

The facility decides which communication system an inmate can use. That is the single most important fact in this whole process. Securus may serve a county jail in one state and not the jail two counties over. A state prison may use Securus for phone calls but handle messages through a different vendor, or not offer electronic messages at all.

So the order of operations is:

1. Find out which company the facility contracts with. The facility’s website, the inmate handbook, or the front desk will tell you.
2. Confirm that electronic messaging is one of the services offered, not just phone and video.
3. Confirm the inmate has messaging enabled on their account. Some facilities require the inmate to accept or activate it first.

If you skip step three, you can fund an account and watch messages sit there. Ask your loved one whether they have seen anything about eMessaging on their end before you spend.

What the signup and first message look like

You create an account with your name, contact details and a payment method, then search for the inmate by name and, where the facility requires it, their ID number. You add them as a contact. From there you type a message, review it, and send.

Two things surprise families the first time. First, messages are not private in the way a normal text is. Facility staff can review them, and messages that break facility rules can be rejected or flagged. Write as though a staff member may read it, because they can.

Second, replies are not instant. The inmate sees your message when they next get access to the facility’s messaging terminal or tablet, which depends on their housing unit, schedule and whether the system is working that day. A message sent Friday might be read Monday. That is normal, not a sign something failed.

Pricing is set by the facility and the contract, not by a single national rate. We are not going to quote you a number, because the number you see will depend on where your loved one is held. The account page and the facility’s communication policy are where the real prices live. Check both before you add a large balance.

What usually goes wrong the first week

• Wrong facility. Families search the inmate’s name, find a match, and fund an account for a jail in another county. Verify the facility name and location against the inmate locator or the facility’s own roster.
• Messages rejected for content. Links, certain photos, and anything referencing contraband or another inmate’s name are common triggers. Read the facility’s message rules before your first send.
• Sticker shock on the funding page. Fees can attach to deposits, not just messages. Look at the full charge before you confirm.
• No reply for days. Usually this is terminal access, not a lost message. Ask your loved one when they last checked.

If a message bounces and you cannot tell why, call the facility’s communication office rather than the vendor first. Staff know the local rules; the call center often does not.

What to do if your facility does not use Securus

This is where a lot of families end up, and it is not a dead end. State prisons and county jails vary widely, and some use JPay or another vendor. Our JPay review on checking your state before you pay walks through how to confirm which system applies to you.

If your loved one is in federal prison, the picture is different again. Federal inmates send electronic messages from TRULINCS terminals inside the facility, and CorrLinks is the outside side of that system. Securus eMessaging is not the federal route. If you are trying to reach someone in the Bureau of Prisons, read how to text an inmate without CorrLinks for the options that fit that system.

For families in federal facilities, InmateDB is a service built for exactly that setup. The inmate adds one InmateDB contact in TRULINCS, and after that they text by putting a phone number in the subject line and the message in the body. You reply from your normal texting app, with no app required, and there is a 3-day free trial. Plans start at $9.99/month for texting and go to $19.99/month for full access, which adds a personal number anyone can text first, email and more apps. It works with about 93% of federal facilities that use CorrLinks, and it does not work in state prisons or county jails. Best Inmate Texting App is made by the team behind InmateDB, so weigh that as you compare.

Questions to ask before you commit

Whether you are looking at Securus eMessaging or any other option, four questions settle most of the uncertainty:

• Which company does this specific facility contract with for messages?
• Does the inmate need to activate messaging on their side?
• What does a message cost, and are there deposit fees on top?
• What content gets a message rejected here?

Write the answers down. If you are comparing several services for the same person, our guide to texting loved ones in prison without the headache covers how the options differ by facility type, and how to text an inmate daily helps if your main concern is keeping a steady routine rather than a one-off message.

Quick answers

Can I use Securus eMessaging at any jail?

No. It only works where the facility has contracted for it and the inmate has messaging enabled. Confirm both with the facility before you fund an account.

How long until my message is read?

It depends on when your loved one can get to a messaging terminal or tablet. Housing schedules and system outages both affect it, so a delay of a day or more is common and not usually a sign of a problem.

Can staff read my messages?

Yes. Facility staff can monitor messages sent through these systems. Keep that in mind for anything sensitive, and check the facility’s rules on what is allowed.

Start with the facility, not the app. Once you know which system your loved one can actually use, the rest is straightforward. If they are in a federal facility, find your loved one on InmateDB by name or BOP register number to see whether the service fits before you sign up.