Texas Inmate Records

At 452 per 100,000 residents, Texas's imprisonment rate is significantly higher than the national average of 355 inmates per 100,000 total population. While the state's prison system has a design capacity of 126,894, the prison facilities house an average of 118,044 inmates. Each local, state, and federal correctional facility in Texas keeps records of all inmates held in their facility. Also, certain authorized government agencies at varying levels maintain records of individuals incarcerated in the state.

Texas inmate records are official documents containing important information and records about inmates incarcerated in the state's prison and jail facilities. They typically include the following information:

• Inmate's Personal Information - This generally includes name, address, gender, date of birth, race, and identifying marks.
• Arrest Record - This includes crime classification, date of arrest, place of arrest, arrest location, arresting agency, and arrest warrants.
• Custody Details - This includes admission date, inmate number, and current holding correctional facility.
• Booking Details - Included in these details are the booking number, charges filed,
• Offense History - This includes the offense date, sentence date, the nature of the offense, and case number.
• Sentencing and Parole Information - These include maximum sentence date, parole eligibility date, parole review status, and last parole decision.
• Release Records - These include supervised release terms and projected release date.

Are Inmate Records Public in Texas?

Inmate records are public in Texas, per the state's Public Information Act. This Act gives members of the public the right to access government records, including inmate records, without stating the intended use. However, while most inmate records are considered public information in the state, certain records and information in inmate records may not be publicly available because they are exempted from disclosure. These are primarily records that are confidential by law, either by judicial decision, statutory, or constitutional.

What Agencies Are Responsible for Inmate Records in Texas?

Several government agencies maintain inmate records in Texas. They include the following:

• The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) - The TDCJ oversees offenders in about 100 state jails, state prisons, and private correctional facilities that contract with the Department. It is also responsible for the supervision of offenders released from prison on mandatory supervision or parole. The Correctional Institutions Division (CID) of the TDCJ receives and processes inmates for intake, assigns inmates to their units and custody, and keeps records of such inmates.
• County Sheriff's Offices - The county sheriff's offices in Texas's 254 counties oversee the approximately 230 local jail facilities at the county level where offenders are mostly awaiting trial. They do this under the regulation of the state's Commission on Jail Standards. Generally, the county sheriff's offices maintain certain records about individuals in their custody.
• The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) - The Crime Records Division (CRD) of the state's Department of Public Safety supports local and state law enforcement agencies and collects information submitted by local criminal justice agencies statewide. It compiles this information into a database that allows access to criminal justice information, which includes inmate records.
• Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) - The 15 BOP prison facilities in Texas house individuals convicted of federal crimes within the state and maintain records of each inmate under their supervision.

How To Search an Inmate's Information in Texas?

Anyone looking to search an inmate's information in Texas must first identify whether the inmate is housed in a local, state, private, or federal prison.

Find an inmate in Texas State Prisons

Interested parties can use the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's Online Inmate Search to find and retrieve important information about individuals who are currently incarcerated in state-run prison facilities. To conduct a successful search using this online resource, provide either of the following information in the appropriate fields:

• The inmate's TDCJ number
• The inmate's state identification (SID) number
• The inmate's last name and at least the first initial of their first name

After entering the search criteria, a person may select the inmate's gender and race, if known, to streamline the search and obtain fewer matches for ease of sorting. Furthermore, the TDCJ allows members of the public to request Texas inmate information by telephone or email.

Alternatively, interested persons can find more detailed information about inmates who are currently housed in any of Texas state-managed prison facilities by submitting a public information request to the TDCJ. They can do so by email, online, or through one of the following means:

By mail to:

In person at:

Find an Inmate in Local Jail

Each of the approximately 230 local jails in Texas is supervised by a county sheriff's office or a local police department in the state. The county sheriffs typically employ correctional officers to run their jail facilities and keep records of each inmate housed in such facilities. Generally, most county sheriff's offices or departments across Texas operate online inmate locators or rosters listing details of each inmate incarcerated in their local jail facilities. Hence, interested persons may look up these rosters for information about such inmates.

While inmate rosters may provide information about inmates incarcerated in local jails, such information is usually basic. Anyone looking to find more comprehensive records about such inmates should visit the jail facilities where the inmates are being incarcerated. They should consider contacting the county sheriff's office in charge of a local jail for inquiries before visiting the facility.

Find an Inmate in Federal Prison

Interested persons may obtain records of inmates incarcerated in any of the 15 federal prisons in Texas online using the BOP Inmate Locator. Some of the federal correctional facilities supervised and managed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) in the state are:

• Houston FDC
• Bastrop FCI
• South Central RO
• Dallas RRM
• Bryan Spring FCI

To find an inmate in any of Texas's federal prisons, enter the inmate's BOP register number or name in the available fields on the BOP Inmate Locator. After entering the available search parameter, click on the "Search" button and a list of inmates matching those parameters will be displayed.

How Can I Access Old Inmate Records?

While the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) generally provides access to inmate records through its Online Inmate Search system, records maintained on the system are those of inmates currently housed in state-run correctional facilities. The first place to check when looking to access old inmate records in the state is the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSL). Interested persons may contact the Records Management Division to inquire if the records sought are available on file with the TSL. Historic records of old inmates incarcerated in Texas may be accessed through the National Archives.

Credible third-party websites like Texaspublicrecords.us allow members of the public to access information about inmates previously incarcerated within the state's prison system. Typically, inmate records and information collated on websites operated by these independent companies are not erased from the database and may be accessed at any time. However, users may have to pay a nominal fee to be able to access old inmate records on third-party sites.

If a person needs more detailed information about an inmate previously incarcerated in Texas, it is best to visit the state prison, state jail, or local jail where they served time. In most cases, requesters will be required to submit written requests containing information that can help facilitate the search. Alternatively, they may submit a public information request to the TDCJ through any of the available options.

Can I Find a Texas Inmate Record for Free?

The Online Inmate Search system managed by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice provides free access to inmate records and information for individuals incarcerated in state-operated correctional facilities. Similarly, the BOP Inmate Locator and inmate rosters/locators run by the BOP and county sheriff's offices allow anyone to find records of inmates housed in federal prisons and local jails, respectively, free of charge. However, there is usually a limitation on the level of information that can be accessed, as each of these correctional facilities only maintains records of inmates in their custody.

If looking to access Texas inmate records through a one-stop database, search third-party websites like Texaspublicrecords.us, because they offer the public centralized access to all inmate records in the state. This means that records of inmates incarcerated in local, state, or federal correctional facilities in the state may be accessed conveniently on these sites, eliminating the need for in-person visits to prisons/jails or sending multiple requests. Note that users may have to pay a small processing fee to obtain Texas inmate records using third-party sites.

Jails and Prisons in Texas

Texas prisons and jails are grouped by their management structure. Some are managed by the state government, while others are run by local/county governments, the federal government, and private entities.

• County Jails - The county jails in Texas are supervised by the county sheriff's offices across the state. Each of the 230 county jails in the state falls under the management of a county sheriff's office.
• State Prisons/Jails - The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) manages over 100 state prisons and jails.
• State Prisons - At least four private prison facilities in Texas contract with the TDCJ.
• Federal Prisons - The 15 federal prisons in Texas are managed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

State Prisons in Texas

The state-run prisons in Texas are operated as units, each with different security levels. A few of them are listed in the table below:

Private Prisons in Texas

• Bridgeport Correctional Center
• Gregory S. Coleman Unit
• Kyle Correctional Center
• Billy Moore Correctional Center

Texas Inmate Statistics

• Texas Incarceration Rate - 452 per 100,000 residents
• Male Incarceration Rate - 833 per 100,000 males
• Female Incarceration Rate - 71 per 100,000 females
• Youth Custody Rate - 89 per 100,000 youths
• Number of Prisoners in Private Prisons - About 11,030
• Black/White Imprisonment Disparity - 3.5:1
• Latino/White Imprisonment Disparity - 1.1:1
• Number of offenders under community supervision - 2,025 per 100,000 people
• Number on probation - 1,559 per 100,000 people
• Number on parole - 443 per 100,000 people
• Felony Disenfranchisement Rate - 2.5%

* Source: United States Bureau of Justice Statistics