How YardLink Works: Free Messaging for Incarcerated People & Families

Most prison messaging platforms charge by the message. JPay charges $0.40–$0.55 per message. Securus charges similar rates. The technology to send a text costs fractions of a cent. The markup is pure extraction from families who have no choice.

YardLink is built on a different premise: families shouldn't pay per message. We built a free social platform specifically for incarcerated people and the people who love them — no stamps, no deposit fees, no per-message charges. Here's how we built that, and how you can start using it today.

This isn't a pitch. It's a straight explanation of what YardLink is, how it works mechanically, who can use it, and what it honestly can't do yet. If YardLink works at your facility, you should know about it. If it doesn't yet, you should know that too.

What Is YardLink?

YardLink is a social network designed specifically for incarcerated people and their families and friends on the outside. Think of it as a purpose-built platform that combines messaging, profiles, photo sharing, and community — accessible from prison tablets where YardLink is an approved application.

Incarcerated people can create full profiles, post updates, share photos, and exchange messages with family and friends. People on the outside — family members, friends, advocates — can create free accounts, find their incarcerated person, and stay in contact without paying per message.

The platform is designed for the realities of incarcerated life: intermittent tablet access, facility monitoring requirements, and the specific needs of people maintaining relationships across a significant barrier. It's not a generic messaging app adapted for prisons — it was built for this context from the start.

How the Messaging Works

Here's the step-by-step of how a message travels from a family member on the outside to an incarcerated person on a facility tablet — and back.

1. 1
   Create a free account Go to yardlink.polsia.app and sign up with your email address. No payment method required. The account is free.
2. 2
   Find your family member's profile Search by name, username, or facility. If your incarcerated family member has already set up their YardLink profile on their tablet, you can find and follow them directly. If not, you can send them a message to their username once they're set up.
3. 3
   Send a message — no stamps, no fees Type your message and send. There's no currency to buy, no stamps to purchase, no balance to load. You just send it.
4. 4
   The message goes through facility review Like all prison messaging platforms, messages are subject to facility monitoring and review. This is a legal requirement, not a YardLink policy. YardLink's system is designed to make this review process as fast as possible.
5. 5
   Your family member reads it on their tablet Once cleared, the message appears in their YardLink inbox on the facility tablet. They can read it, react to it, and reply.
6. 6
   They reply — also free The incarcerated person's reply travels the same path back to you. Also free. No per-message charge on either end.

The practical experience is close to any messaging app you're used to — except it works within the constraints and requirements of a correctional facility.

Who Can Use YardLink?

Family members and friends on the outside. Anyone with an email address can create a YardLink account at no cost. You don't need a credit card. You don't need to verify your identity beyond your email. You can sign up in under two minutes and start searching for your family member's profile immediately. Sign up here.

Incarcerated people. Where YardLink is available on facility tablets, incarcerated people can access YardLink through the tablet's approved application list. They create a profile, can post updates and photos, and can exchange messages with approved connections on the outside.

Availability for incarcerated users is the key constraint: YardLink has to be an approved application at your specific facility. Not every facility has YardLink yet. We're actively expanding — more on that below.

What Makes YardLink Different From JPay?

Side by side, the difference is stark.

The practical difference for a family messaging once a day: YardLink costs $0/year. JPay costs $146+ in stamps alone, plus deposit fees on top. For a family under financial pressure — which describes most families navigating incarceration — that difference is significant.

What Does YardLink Actually Cost?

Nothing. For families and incarcerated people, YardLink is free. No per-message fees. No stamps. No deposit charges. No inactivity penalties. No credit card required. Free.

How is that sustainable? We're building the infrastructure to replace extractive prison telecom — not just as a messaging service, but as a platform that incarcerated people actually want to use. Free messaging is the foundation of that. The business model is premised on doing this right rather than extracting from families who have no other option.

We're not pretending that building and operating a platform is free. But the cost of transmission — sending a message from one person to another over the internet — is effectively zero. JPay and GTL charge $0.40–$0.55 per message because they can, not because it costs anywhere near that to deliver.

Is YardLink Available at My Facility?

This is the most important question, and we'll answer it honestly: YardLink is in active expansion and is not yet available at every facility.

For YardLink to work for an incarcerated person, the facility's tablet provider must have approved YardLink as an application, and the DOC must have authorized its use. This is a facility-by-facility and DOC-by-DOC process. We are actively working to expand access — adding new facilities regularly.

The fastest way to check: create your free account and search for your family member's facility. If YardLink is available there, you'll see it. If it's not yet available, sign up anyway — we'll notify you when it becomes available at their facility.

You can also ask the incarcerated person to inquire with their facility's programming coordinator about whether YardLink is available or being considered for approval.

What About Privacy and Security?

Messages sent through YardLink, like messages sent through any prison-approved platform, are subject to facility monitoring. This is a legal requirement of operating within the correctional system — it applies to JPay, CorrLinks, and every other platform as well. It is not specific to YardLink.

This means: don't send anything through YardLink (or any prison messaging platform) that you wouldn't want facility staff to read. This is the standard rule for any incarcerated person's communications, and it applies here.

YardLink complies with all applicable facility and DOC requirements. Data handling follows standard industry practices for user privacy. Account information is not sold to third parties.

How Do I Get Started?

Getting started takes about two minutes:

1. 1
   Go to yardlink.polsia.app Open the site on any device — phone, computer, tablet.
2. 2
   Click "Join YardLink" or "Get started free" You'll be taken to the registration page.
3. 3
   Enter your email and create a password No credit card. No payment info. Just your email.
4. 4
   Confirm your email and complete your profile Add your name and any optional details. Your profile helps incarcerated family members find you.
5. 5
   Search for your family member Use the search to find their profile, or use their username if you have it. Send your first message.

Ready? Create your free account here.

Frequently Asked Questions