Persons released on parole and mandatory supervision must abide by certain rules while in the community and are subject to revocation or other sanctions for violations of the rules. Rules of release will be noted on the inmate’s release certificate and reviewed with the inmate at release. The inmate will be provided with a copy of release certificate.
Inmates are provided a bus ticket to the bus station closest to their approved residence. Family may arrange to pick up the inmate at the releasing site.
This will be discussed with the inmate during his/her first visit to the parole office and may fluctuate during the period of supervision. Contact standards are based on caseload type and assessment levels.
Texas has an agreement with member states called the “Interstate Compact for Adult Offender Supervision”. The website is www.interstatecompact.org. Inmates sent to other states must obey the rules of both Texas and the supervising state. Providing your address directly to the inmate is the fastest way to initiate an out-of-state transfer. The inmate can then fill out an I-60 form on the unit and provide the proposed address for investigation.
Action taken may include, but is not limited to, such things as client counseling, case conferences, treatment placement or increased contacts. Significant or repeat violations may ultimately result in the parole officer requesting the issuance of a summons or a parole division warrant to address the behavior.
No, clothes will be provided for them at the time of release.
The Austin Review and Release status line will have that information once a release date is set. The status line number is (512) 406-5202. inmates are provided a bus ticket to the bus station closest to their approved residence. Family may arrange to pick up the inmate at the releasing site.
If an inmate does not have any residential resources the inmate will be placed into a halfway house as bed space is available by TDCJ placement staff.
There is a drop box located on each unit that the IPO’s regularly check.
A parole officer will contact you for investigation of a home plan. Any necessary equipment or forms will be discussed with you by the parole officer.
A letter is sent to the inmate informing them if they were granted or denied parole in addition to the reasons. Family members can contact the Austin Review and Release status line to find out approval and denial information for an inmate.
A directory of all probation offices is located in the CSCD Directory.
Special consideration for transfer may be made when an inmate's family member has medical problems limiting the family member's ability to travel long distances. Requests must come from an immediate family member who is currently listed on the inmate’s approved visitors list, and requires documentation from the attending physician of the family member’s inability to travel long distances. Such documentation should be on the physician’s letterhead and signed by the physician. Written requests should be mailed to the TDCJ Classification and Records Department, Attention OCIM, PO Box 99, Huntsville, TX, 77342. Although submitting a request does not guarantee the inmate will be moved to a unit closer to the family, you can be assured the agency will give careful consideration to the request.
Inmates may file a Time Dispute Resolution form if they feel their time has been incorrectly calculated. Questions from the general public pertaining to time calculations may be submitted to the TDCJ Classification and Records Department, PO Box 99, Huntsville, TX 77342 or call (936) 437-6231 by e-mail: classify@tdcj.texas.gov.
Please see Inmate Information and perform an “Offender Search” to get the date and location of an inmate’s release. If release information is not provided, the inmate has not been scheduled for release at this time.
There are two (2) options available for inmates to make telephone calls. The Inmate Technology Services (ITS) allows eligible inmates to make pre-paid telephone calls to friends and family. Inmates in certain custodies may be allowed one 5-minute collect phone call every 90 days. Calls are monitored and may be made only to approved individuals. These calls are made on the TDCJ owned unit telephones. For more information concerning ITS or to register, see Inmate Technology Services.
Before you can receive calls from a TDCJ inmate, you must first register your telephone number. To register, contact the telephone vendor at (866) 806-7804 or through the vendor’s website at texasprisonphone.com. To register you will be required to confirm that you are the registered owner of the telephone number and will not forward or make three-way calls received from the inmate. You must also be at least 18 years old and agree to allow the inmate to call.
The following rules apply to the ITS:
- Calls are limited in length
- All calls, except to the Attorney of Record, are recorded and subject to monitoring
- Calls may only be made to landline telephone numbers and post-paid cell phones; no calls are allowed to pre-paid cell or Internet telephone service or international numbers; and
- To receive calls, the telephone number owner’s name must match the name on the registrant’s driver license or state identification card and the telephone bill listing.
For more information, including complaints, pertaining to the e-Messaging Service or the Inmate Technology Services, please contact the following, in writing:
TDCJ – Information Technology Division
Inmate Technology Services Contract Manager
PO Box 4016
Huntsville, TX 77342-4016
E-mail: offenderphones@tdcj.texas.gov
Inmates who are not eligible for the ITS due to custody level shall be authorized access to state-owned telephones designated by the warden, if the inmates have not been found guilty of any major disciplinary violations within the last 90 days (30 days for state jail inmates). Inmates whose medical condition precludes work and who meet all other requirements shall be eligible to participate. To request a telephone call, inmates shall submit an I-60, “Inmate Request to an Official” form for approval by the warden.
- An inmate must contact the Security Threat Group Officer (STGO) at the unit level in writing and renounce his membership and affiliation with the STG or gang.
- The STGO will then interview and investigate the inmate’s claims of disassociation. Upon completion of the investigation, the STGO will submit a recommendation to the STGMO located in Huntsville, Texas.
The STGMO in Huntsville will make the final decision regarding the eligibility of the inmate for placement into the Gang Renouncement and Disassociation (GRAD) process for administrative segregation inmates, the General Population Gang Renouncement and Disassociation (GPGRAD) process for the general population gang member or the Administrative Segregation Diversion Program (ASDP) for inmates returning to the custody of the TDCJ-CID who were previously assigned to administrative segregation as an STG member.
No, an inmate in GRAD, GPGRAD, or ASDP will not be denied release to parole if they are in the program.
When the time for release from prison draws near, the inmate who is eligible for parole, is interviewed by the institutional parole officer to determine residence and employment plans. Inmates with special medical or mental health needs receive information from a field services representative about medication and other relevant aftercare plans.
Most inmates are released from regional release sites, releasing them closer to their county of conviction, residence or approved release county. Regional release sites are located at the Clements Unit (Amarillo), Crain Unit (Gatesville), Huntsville Unit (Huntsville), Hutchins State Jail (Dallas), McConnell Unit (Beeville), and Robertson Unit (Abilene).
All male inmates with a detainer, classified as sex offenders, have special conditions of Super Intensive Supervision Program (SISP) or Electronic Monitoring imposed by the Board of Pardons and Paroles are released from the Huntsville Unit.
Female inmates are released from Gatesville. Releases from all facilities occur between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.
Note, scheduled releases may be subject to change.
Each inmate is given a set of civilian clothing and a bus voucher (if traveling by bus), in addition to the remaining balance in the individual’s trust fund account. Inmates released to parole or mandatory supervision receive a $50.00 gate check and will receive another $50.00 check upon reporting to their parole officer. Prison inmates that complete their sentence in the Correctional Institutions Division (flat discharge) receive a $100.00 gate check when released.
State jail inmates are released from the unit of assignment, or given a bus voucher (if traveling by bus) to the county of residence. State Jail inmates do not receive money upon release (Texas Government Code, Section 501.015 (b)).
Families may also elect to pick their loved one up at the releasing facility. Family members are encouraged to call the unit to verify the inmate’s release prior to traveling.
The TDCJ Patient Liaison Program (PLP) Family/Public Hotline number, (936) 437-4271, is available for family members and the public to inquire about an incarcerated inmate’s health care during business hours, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. A message can be left using the automated voicemail when calling after hours or when experiencing longer than normal hold times. The PLP coordinator or designee for the hotline will return the telephone call on the next business day.
Faith-based dorms were implemented in January 2003 and are now located in many of the correctional facilities. The faith-based dorms offer support and accountability, along with an intensive faith-based curriculum and mentoring services to participants. The programming is conducted by local faith-based community volunteers whose activities are directed by the unit chaplain and unit administration. Inmates participation is voluntary, open to all faiths or those of no faith. Inmates are selected in conjunction for participation by members of the unit administration, Classification, and the chaplain.
Participating inmates must be OT, G1, G2, G3, G4 J1, or J2 minimum custody level.
The duration of inmate participation may not exceed two years.
During the intake process, each inmate will be asked to submit a list of no more than 10 names and addresses of proposed visitors to the warden or designee on the RO-1, Request for Placement on Visitors List. Each name submitted must include the physical address and phone number of the proposed visitor and the visitor’s relationship to the inmate. An inmate, not a visitor, must request to have a visitor added to the Visitors List. The visitor cannot request to be placed on an inmate visitors list. Inmates do not receive visits until the intake process is complete and inmates are classified and custody assigned.
The TDCJ has initiated an on-line program (www.texas.gov/eCommDirect) where friends and family may purchase up to $60.00 of certain commissary items every calendar quarter for eligible inmates. The items available for purchase include certain snacks, hygiene products, correspondence supplies, and newly packaged items. The amount purchased will not affect the amount that inmates may spend on commissary items from funds deposited into their inmate trust fund accounts. Inmates on commissary restriction, inmates in general population and state jail levels four and five, and administrative segregation levels two and three are not eligible to receive commissary purchases through this program.
Jpay allows you to send money to an inmate for services fees starting at $3.95. You may visit their website at www.jpay.com or call (800) 574-JPAY to send funds using Visa, Discover, or Mastercard credit/debit cards. You may also make cash deposits at MoneyGram locations nationwide using an Express Payment form. You may also make cash deposits from their home after setting up a cash collection account with a Jpay customer service representative.
The Inmate Trust Fund provides a place of safekeeping for funds an inmate may have access to, but not physical control of during their incarceration. Several Trust Fund deposit options are now available and include:
- Money orders or cashier’s checks;
- Monthly checking account debit (ACH);
- Western Union Quick Collect;
- Western Union Convenience Pay
- America’s Cash Express (ACE)
- JPay
- Touchpay
- Texas.gov
For more information, please see the General Information Guide for Families: English/Español.
For inmates with a GED or high school diploma, academic and vocational post-secondary educational opportunities are available through the Rehabilitation Programs Division (RPD), which contracts with community colleges and universities. RPD contracts with eight colleges and two universities that provide academic and vocational programs for inmates. Associate (two year), Baccalaureate (four year), and Masters Degrees are awarded upon completion of degree requirements. A certificate of completion is awarded after satisfactory completion of a vocational program. College credit may be awarded for vocational courses. Eligibility requirements to participate in a college academic or vocational program are set by the TDCJ and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board; admission and registration requirements of the college must be met by all students.
Anyone knowledgeable of an inmate-on-inmate or staff-on-inmate sexual abuse or sexual harassment that occurs within a TDCJ correctional facility is encouraged to immediately report the allegation in writing to:
PREA Ombudsman Office
PO Box 99
Huntsville, TX 77342-0099
(936) 437-2133 (phone)
(936) 437-6981 (fax)
E-mail: prea.ombudsman@tdcj.texas.gov
Call the reentry hotline at (877) 887-6151 or contact a reentry case manager at your local parole office if you are on supervision. See also the reentry resource guide.
As stated in the TDCJ Offender Orientation Handbook, given to each inmate upon entry into the prison system, inmates have the right to appeal any disciplinary decision made by the unit. This appeal is done by using the inmate grievance procedure and submitted to the warden or unit grievance staff. If the inmate is not satisfied with the warden's or unit grievance staff's decision, the inmate may then file the next level of grievance for appeal purposes. The counsel substitute will assist inmates with an appeal if they request assistance. Inmates are encouraged to use informal measures to address concerns at the unit level, where applicable.
