The state government in Texas has numerous initiatives that are aimed at protecting, serving and providing safety to its residents. One of them is the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ). With a motto that says, ‘to provide public safety, promote positive change in offender behavior, reintegrate offenders into society and assist victims of crime’, the initiative does more than just that as it also helps you search information on inmates in Texas. This guide will help you on a TDCJ inmate Search by name.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is a government department of the state of Texas in the United States that is responsible for criminal statewide adult offenders which includes their management inside state prisons, state jails and also private correctional facilities. It also oversees the funding and community oversight of offenders who had been released from prison on mandatory supervision or parole.
Records on inmates in Texas will give you information on a person who is incarcerated in any of the various detention centers in Texas. These are places such a prisons and jails which are under the state, counties, cities and private facilities. Information that can be found in inmate records include name, age, gender, date of birth, and administrative details such as location, custody status, and identification number. All these details are open to the public to view as stated by the Texas Public Information Act.
There are government agencies as well as third party sources for inmate records in Texas, since inmate records are considered public records in the whole of the United States. The advantage of using third party websites is that they do not have a geographical limitation. You can get results from a number of places from a search.
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) has a branch called the Correctional Institution Division (CID) which overlooks the operations of more than 106 correctional facilities. These facilities are:
- state prisons and jails
- medical facilities holding inmates classified as criminally insane
- felony punishment facilities
- intermediate sanction facilities
- pre-release and transfer facilities
Texas Department of Criminal Justice Inmate Search
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is the one that keeps the inmates’ records incarcerated in institutions run by the Correctional Institution Division (CID).
There is an inmate search tool that can be used by the public to find information on inmates in Texas for free. Searches can be performed using:
- A name
- TDCJ number
- State identification (SID) number
Searches can be narrowed down by including race or gender on your search.
The public can also request for inmate records by phone as an alternative to the online locator tool.
- To get hold of inmate records by phone you can call the general information line which is (936) 295-6371 or (800) 535-0283.
- To find out about inmate status if the Board of Pardons and Paroles has not yet voted on the offender’s status call (844) 512-0461.
- You can call (512) 406-5202 if they have voted.
Individuals who are looking to obtain information on inmates via the phone must give the TDCJ or SID Number or birthdates of the inmate.
It is also possible to obtain Texas inmates records by mail as the law allows. Requesters can also get the following inmate records by email in Texas which are TDCJ Number, Offense of conviction, Incarceration history, Current incarceration (crime, county, and court of conviction) and Projected release date.
Texas Jail Inmate Search
In order to locate inmate who is in a county or city jail in Texas, you can start by visiting that county or city’s website. City jails are normally under the jurisdiction of city police departments, while county jails are normally operated by the sheriff’s offices. City and county jails usually hold individuals who are on pretrial or those serving short sentences as a result of misdemeanor offences.
To find a jail in a particular municipality, you can visit the police department section of the city’s website or a sheriff’s office section on a county website. Their webpages normally have inmate locator tools which are used for locating individuals kept in local jails.
Another idea is to lookup contact details of the local jail or the law enforcement agency running the facility from the city or county websites. This information is usually the phone number and physical address of the city or county jail. You can then either call them or pay them a visit in person.
There are about 269 state prisons and county jails in Texas with a large number of them being operated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice while the rest are under the sheriff’s department. The TDCJ is the main prison organization in the whole of the United States.
With these ideas, you can conduct a TDCJ inmate search by name for free. If names searches do not work out, you can also try searching with a TDCJ Number or State Identification (SID) Number.
