What we verify, what we publish, what we leave to you, and the recourse if something goes wrong.
Before publishing any profile, we verify the inmate's identity, current facility, projected release date, and convictions against state and federal corrections records and federal court records (PACER) where available. The verified convictions, sentence length, and earliest release date appear transparently on every profile.
We do not categorically refuse to list inmates based on the nature of their conviction. Inmates convicted of sexual offenses, crimes involving minors, crimes against women, violent crimes, or other serious offenses are eligible to apply on the same terms as anyone else. We believe meaningful human connection is part of rehabilitation, and that permanent categorical exclusion based on past conviction perpetuates the social isolation that makes reentry harder.
We verify, we disclose, and we trust correspondents to make informed decisions about whom they correspond with. The platform does not pre-screen which profiles you can see based on what we think is appropriate for you.
This is a deliberate change from an earlier version of this policy that maintained a categorical exclusion rule. We changed the position after concluding that "we've done the research for you" is a fiction at scale, and that the categorical rule operated as a form of permanent social exile contrary to the platform's stated belief in rehabilitation.
Profiles on InsideLines may include individuals convicted of sexual offenses, crimes against minors, or other serious offenses. Convictions are listed transparently on the profile so you can see them. If you want to research a specific profile's conviction history in more detail before initiating correspondence, several public resources are available:
We encourage correspondents to use these resources when evaluating any specific profile. The information on the InsideLines profile is the inmate's verified record; the broader public-record context lets you make a fully informed decision.
We reserve discretionary refusal in individual cases where, in our judgment, a profile poses an active risk that disclosure alone does not address. Examples include: a bio containing explicit threats against named individuals or groups; a bio explicitly soliciting contact with minors; publicly-available records showing ongoing predatory access patterns separate from the historic conviction; or a pattern of correspondent reports indicating the profile is being used for purposes outside the platform's scope.
These refusals are case-by-case, not categorical. Refused applications receive a full refund. The reasons for refusal are documented in the internal vetting log with supporting evidence.
Every profile goes through a structured vetting workflow before publication. The workflow has five stages and each stage is logged in our internal audit trail.
We pull the inmate's record from the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator (or the equivalent state corrections registry) and the PACER federal court records system where applicable. Charges are documented verbatim from the source. Verified charges are published on the profile. Stage 1 does not gate listing; verified information moves to publication. Discretionary refusal at Stage 1 is reserved for individual cases where active risk in the public record is independently apparent.
Photos submitted with the profile are reviewed for suitability — no nudity, no gang signs, no images of other identifiable individuals without consent, no contraband visible in frame. Photos that fail review can be replaced; we don't reject the whole profile for a photo problem.
The submitted bio is reviewed for content. We do not edit bios for tone or persuasiveness — the inmate's voice is the inmate's voice. We do flag content that names third parties without consent, content that describes criminal activity beyond what's already on the public record, or content that violates BOP communications policy.
The mailing address listed on the profile (facility name, register number, PO box) is verified against the BOP locator. We confirm the inmate is currently at the listed facility and that the address format is correct. Inmates transfer between facilities periodically; we re-verify addresses on a quarterly cadence.
An InsideLines vetting operator reviews the full record and makes the final approval decision. Approval triggers the profile going live on insidelines.org. Refusal at this stage is rare and typically reflects a discretionary judgment about active risk that earlier stages did not surface.
The first name, the inmate's stated age, the facility name and state, the jurisdiction (federal or state), the entry date, the earliest release date, the charges in vetted summary form, the bio in the inmate's voice, the interests, the languages they correspond in, and any vetted photos.
We do not publish: the inmate's full legal name, their date of birth, their full register number (only the facility name is shown), their family members' identities, or any details about other incarcerated individuals named in their record.
We don't moderate the content of letters once a correspondence has started. The verbatim-relay principle — neither inmate nor outside correspondent has their content edited or screened by InsideLines — is a deliberate choice. BOP already monitors every inmate communication for federal compliance; we don't add an additional moderation layer on top because that would duplicate BOP authority without legal standing and create operator liability for judgment calls that belong to the correspondents themselves and to BOP.
The exception: if a correspondent reports a letter as concerning (a threat, a request for contraband, conduct outside the bounds of consenting adult correspondence), we log it, review it, and take action up to and including removing the inmate from the platform. Reporting goes to [email protected].
Correspondents who receive content from a listed inmate that raises safety concerns — threats, solicitation, escalation patterns, requests for money or contraband outside the platform's scope, or any other concerning material — may report it to [email protected]. Reports are reviewed individually. Reported profiles may be paused, removed, or subjected to additional disclosure flags depending on the nature and substantiation of the report. We respond within two business days.
We do not have a complete database of all victims of all crimes by all incarcerated people. We verify and disclose convictions, but cannot screen for every individual relationship. If you discover that someone listed here is the offender from a prior crime against you, please contact [email protected] directly. We will remove the profile and refund their subscription, no questions about the underlying case. Your contact information is held in strict confidence.
Active profiles are re-vetted quarterly. The re-vet checks for any new charges, any facility transfer, any changes to the BOP record. We don't re-vet to second-guess our prior decision — we re-vet to catch changes in the underlying record.