Are Texas Inmate Records Public Information?
Yes. Per the Texas Public Information Act, Texas inmate records are open to the public. Therefore, interested persons can conduct a Texas inmate search to find someone in jail or determine who's in custody in Texas by querying the various custodians for inmate records. However, access to an inmate record may be prohibited, especially when the record's contents are confidential by law or court order.
Texas Inmate Search
Texas inmate records provide identifying information about persons incarcerated in various detention facilities in Texas. Such facilities include prisons and jails operated by the state, counties, cities, and private entities. Details in inmate records maintained by these facilities include:
- Personal information, such as inmate names, genders, ages, and birth dates
- Administrative information like custody status, locations, release dates, and identification numbers; and
- Identifying information like inmate mugshots and physical characteristics (weight, eye color, etc.)
Inmate records are considered public in the United States and, therefore, are made available by both traditional governmental agencies as well as third-party websites and organizations. Third-party websites may offer an easier means to search, as these services do not face geographical limitations. However, because third-party sites are not government-sponsored, the information obtained through them may vary from official channels. To find inmate records using third-party aggregate sites, requesting parties must provide:
- The location of the sought-after record, including state, county, and city where the inmate resides.
- The name of the person listed in the record, unless it is a juvenile.
How to Find Someone in Jail in Texas
In Texas, an individual can contact a local county sheriff's department to find out why someone is in jail or what jail someone is in. Apart from calling the sheriff's helpline or visiting the office during regular business hours, the interested person can ascertain who's in custody - and why - using the inmate or jail information search engine accessible on the sheriff's website. These sites are made available to law enforcement and the public in the interest of public safety. Typically, to process a Texas inmate search, the inquirer must provide an inmate's last name or jail number to the search engine to generate data on incarcerated individuals within the county. The information that can be obtained from a typical Texas inmate search includes their custody status, names, jail numbers, charges, etc.
How to Send Money to Inmates in Texas Prisons
The TDCJ provides each inmate in the correctional facilities it oversees with a trust fund account. Friends and family members can deposit money into this account. The TDCJ offers these eight options for funding inmate accounts:
- Money order or cashier's check
- Monthly checking account debit (ACH)
- ACE (America's Cash Express)
- eCommDirect Store
- JPay
- TouchPay Payment Systems
- Western Union Convenience Pay
- Western Union Quick Collect
The TDCJ provides detailed instructions for sending money to inmates in Texas prisons. Still, county and city jails in Texas have different rules and arrangements for sending money to inmates. Details of funding inmates' commissary accounts are usually provided on the jail sections of county and city websites. Where this information is unavailable online, contact the county/city jail by phone.
Texas county and city jails may provide one or more of the following options for funding inmates' accounts:
- In-person deposit at a kiosk in the jail lobby or at retail locations around the city/county
- Phone deposits by credit/debit cards
- Online deposits by credit/debit cards
In most cases, payment processors or electronic funds transfer vendors like Access Corrections handle fund deposits on behalf of county and city jails.
How to Get Approved to Visit an Inmate in Texas Prisons and Jails
The TDCJ has a set of rules for visiting inmates held in state and private prisons and jails in Texas. It only allows inmate visits at these facilities between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Visitations are also allowed on certain holidays that occur on Mondays and Fridays. Each inmate has an approved Visitors List with no more than ten names.
Approved visitors must schedule their visits with prison/jail wardens at least a day before visiting and no more than seven days prior. Each inmate is allowed one visit per weekend. Each visit may comprise two adults. The number of children under 18 allowed during a visit depends on available space in the visitation area. The warden may also exercise discretion in allowing more than two adults.
Visiting adults must bring valid government-issued photo IDs. Acceptable identifications include:
- Valid state driver's license;
- Valid state Department of Public Safety (DPS) ID card;
- Valid Armed Forces ID card;
- Passport;
- ID card issued by the United States Department of Homeland Security, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), such as Visa Border Crossing ID Card (USA B1/B2 Visa BCC)
Prison officials may require additional identity verification and ask for visitors' birth certificates, credit cards with photos, or other official ID forms.
Prospective visitors must get approval from prison wardens when arranging visits requiring special accommodations. Such visits include those:
- Involving more than two adults
- Involving the elderly and special needs individuals requiring additional oversight
- Taking more than two hours
Visitation times and rules for Texas county and city jails vary from municipality to municipality. When planning a visit to one of such facilities, make sure to check the jail, sheriff's office, or police department section of the county/city website for information about visitations.
How to Find a County Inmate Roster in Texas
County inmate rosters (occasionally called inmate or jail information search sites) are provided on county sheriff's websites across the State of Texas. Notwithstanding, one may still find an inmate roster on a county government's official website or other relevant agency's website. For example, Bexar County's inmate roster is provided on the county magistrate's office website.
Generally, county inmate rosters are either searchable databases or lists alphabetized by inmates' last names. By accessing these rosters, an individual can determine who's in custody in a particular jurisdiction. An information seeker can also review county inmates' sentence information, custody status, release dates, and other details.
How to Perform a Texas Prison Inmate Search
The TDCJ maintains the records of inmates incarcerated in the facilities operated by the CID and private contractors. To perform a Texas prison inmate search, use the Texas inmate search tool for a free inmate search by name, TDCJ number, or state identification (SID) number. Individuals can also filter Texas inmate search results by gender or race.
Besides the online locator tool, the TDCJ allows interested persons to carry out Texas inmate lookup by phone. To obtain this information, call the general information line at (936) 295-6371 or (800) 535-0283. Meanwhile, to inquire about an offender's status, call (844) 512-0461 if the Board of Pardons and Paroles has not voted on the inmate's status and (512) 406-5202 after the vote. Persons calling for inmates' information must provide the inmates' TDCJ or SID number or birth dates.
Texas law also allows the TDCJ to release inmate location and offender status by email. Other Texas inmate records available by email include:
- TDCJ Number
- Offense of conviction
- Incarceration history
- Current incarceration (crime, county, and court of conviction)
- Projected release date
It is worth mentioning that Texas has several federal prisons. Hence, suppose an inmate is serving a lengthy or life sentence in a Texas federal prison. In that case, one must perform a federal inmate search to find the incarcerated individual. Texas inmate locators cannot be used to locate such inmates. Instead, federal inmate searches should be executed using the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) inmate locator, which can be searched with an inmate's name or number. The BOP does not require a fee from Texas residents who wish to conduct federal inmate searches.
How to Perform a Texas Jail Inmate Search
To find someone in jail in any Texas county or city, start by visiting the county or city website. City police departments usually operate city jails, while sheriff's offices run county jails. Usually, these facilities only hold pretrial individuals and those serving short sentences, usually resulting from misdemeanor offenses.
An individual can visit the sheriff's office section of a county website or the police department section of a city website to find information about the jail in the municipality. Typically, web pages host Texas inmate locator tools for finding individuals remanded in local jails. Alternatively, search the city/county website for the contact information of the local jail or the law enforcement agency overseeing the detention center. Such information will include the county/city jail's physical address and contact phone number. Finally, one can call or visit the jail to carry out a Texas inmate search. This search enables interested persons to find out if someone is in jail. It can also help uncover why someone is in jail.
Texas State Prisons and County Jails: Understanding the Difference
As of 2020, there were 313 state prisons and county jails in Texas. Most of these facilities are operated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), with the remaining being operated by various county sheriff's departments.
The TDCJ is the largest prison system in the United States, housing over 117,876 inmates across 109 facilities as of 2021. The prison population in TDCJ facilities has been steadily increasing in recent years, reaching a record high of over 166,000 in 2018.
The vast majority of TDCJ inmates are housed in general population units, which are typically large facilities with several thousand inmates. Specialized units include those for medical and mental health care, geriatric care, and inmates with disabilities.
County jails in Texas are typically much smaller than state prisons, with an average daily population of over 64,000 as of August 2022. These facilities are typically operated by the sheriff's departments of the counties in which they are located.
How Do I Find Out an Inmate Release Date?
Individuals who want to know an inmate's proposed release date may utilize the offender information search tool on the TDCJ website. This Texas inmate search tool provides comprehensive inmate records, including an inmate's crimes, incarceration history, and projected release date.
Facilities Operated by the Texas Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
The Correctional Institution Division (CID) of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) oversees the operations of more than 106 correctional institutions. These include state prisons and jails, medical facilities holding inmates classified as criminally insane, felony punishment facilities, intermediate sanction facilities, and pre-release and transfer facilities directly operated by the TDCJ CID. Interested persons may check the prison lookup tool for the location and contact information of Texas prisons and county jails. The following are some of the addresses and information of state prisons and correctional facilities in the state for in-person or mail Texas inmate searches:
Atascosa County TX Juvenile Justice Center
1501 Zanderson Avenue,
Jourdanton, TX 78026
Ayres House
17259 Nacogdoches Road,
San Antonio, TX 78266
Corsicana Residential Treatment Center
4000 West 2nd Avenue,
Corsicana, TX 75110
Cottrell House
7929 Military Parkway,
Dallas, TX 75227
Crockett State School
1701 SW Loop 304,
Crockett, TX 75835
Edna Tamayo House
1438 North 77th Sunshine Strip,
Harlingen, TX 78550
Ernestine Glossbrenner Unit- Correctional Institution
5100 South FM 1329,
San Diego, TX 78384
Evins Regional Juvenile Facility (Edinburg)
3801 East Monte Cristo Road,
Edinburg, TX 78541
Gainesville State School
1379 FM 678,
Gainesville, TX 76240
Giddings State School
2261 James Turman Road
P.O. Box 600,
Giddings, TX 78942
John Shero Juvenile Facility
206 S Wallace Creek Rd,
San Saba, TX 76877-9516
McFadden Ranch
3505 North Haynes Road,
Roanoke, TX 76262
McLennan County TX Juvenile Correctional - Unit I
116 Burleson Road,
Mart, TX 76664
Ron Jackson Juvenile Correctional - Unit II
800 FM 3254
P.O. Box 1267,
Brownwood, TX 76801
Roy K. Robb Men's Facility CSCD
318 North Bell,
San Angelo, TX 76903
Tom Green
Schaeffer House
12451 Garment Road,
El Paso, TX 79938
Sheffield Boot Camp
100 South Farr Street,
Iraan, TX 79744
T. Don Hutto Residential Center - CCA (ICE)
1001 Welch Street,
Taylor, TX 76574
TDCJ - Alfred D. Hughes Unit (AH)
Route 2,
Box 4400,
Gatesville, TX 76597
TDCJ - Allan B. Polunsky Unit (TL)
3872 FM 350 South,
Livingston, TX 77351
TDCJ - AM Mac Stringfellow Unit (R2)
1200 FM 655,
Rosharon, TX 77583
TDCJ - Barry B. Telford Unit (TO)
3899 State Highway 98,
New Boston, TX 75570
TDCJ - Baten Intermediate Sanction Facility
1995 Helton Road,
Pampa, TX 79065
TDCJ - Beauford H. Jester I Unit (J1)
1 Jester Road,
Richmond, TX 77406
TDCJ - Beauford H. Jester III Unit (J3)
3 Jester Road,
Richmond, TX 77406
TDCJ - Beauford H. Jester IV Unit - Psychiatric Facility (J4)
4 Jester Road,
Richmond, TX 77406
TDCJ - Beto House (B)
4513 West Business 83,
McAllen, TX 78501
TDCJ - Buster Cole State Jail (CL)
3801 Silo Road,
Bonham, TX 75418
TDCJ - O.B. Ellis Unit (E1)
1697 FM 980,
Huntsville, TX 77343
TDCJ - O.L. Luther Unit (P2)
1800 Luther Drive,
Navasota, TX 77868
TDCJ - Pam Lychner State Jail (AJ)
2350 Atascocita Road,
Humble, TX 77396
TDCJ - Preston E. Smith Unit (SM)
1313 CR 19,
Lamesa, TX 79331-1898
TDCJ - Price Daniel Unit (DL)
938 South FM 1673,
Snyder, TX 79549
TDCJ - Reverend C.A. Holliday Transfer Facility (NF)
295 IH-45 North,
Huntsville, TX 77320-8443
TDCJ - Reynoldo V. Lopez State Jail (RL)
1203 El Cibolo Road,
Edinburg, TX 78542
TDCJ - Richard P. LeBlanc Unit - PreRelease (BA)
3695 FM 3514,
Beaumont, TX 77705
TDCJ - Rogelio Sanchez State Jail (RZ)
3901 State Jail Road,
El Paso, TX 79938-8456
TDCJ - Ruben M. Torres Unit (TE)
125 Private Road 4303,
Hondo, TX 78861
TDCJ - Rufe Jordan Unit (JN)
1992 Helton Road,
Pampa, TX 79065
TDCJ - Rufus H. Duncan Correctional Institution - Geriatric Facility (N6)
1502 South First Street,
Diboll, TX 75941
TDCJ - San Saba Transfer Facility (N2)
206 South Wallace Creek Road,
San Saba, TX 76877
TDCJ - Skyview Psychiatric Unit (SV)
379 FM 2972,
Rusk, TX 75785
TDCJ - T.L. Roach Unit (RH)
15845 FM 164,
Childress, TX 79201
