Texas Prison Inmate Search
Do you need to find someone in Texas prison? If a family member or loved one has been sent to prison, you might be wondering how to find them. Probably you want to write to them and stay in touch while they do their time.
I used to be able to display a form on this page that let folks search for inmates within TDC but the folks at TDCJ have changed the way things work and I cannot make it work now. I hope to have a solution soon. Meanwhile please continue to send your questions to me and I will keep trying to help y’all. Sorry for the hassle.
You can also check these other pages I have with information about Texas prison, Federal prison, and, soon to come, county jails in Texas.
Hi…my husband got sentenced to 3 yrs tdc with 7 months back time. He got denied for his parole review after 3 month after being transfered to tdc. And now after 4 months after that he is now in the parole review again. His PRD is in November
Hey Crystial, your husband’s PRD (projected Release Date) is usually a pretty good approximate date when he will get paroled out. This next parole will hopefully go well and you’ll have some answers. Peace ~ Magnum
Does anyone know how long it takes for someone to be transferred to state jail. My friend was sentenced on 4/1/16 to state for 1 years and was in ector county jail then transferred to hudspeth county jail and he has been there for almost 2 months now he is supposed to get transferred to Sanchez State Jail so he can complete his sentence.
From my experience theres no real timeline on when they get transferred…but all their time does count towards that year. I really don’t know a lot about state jail, but have been told that county is cake compared to prison so it might not be a bad thing that he hasn’t transferred yet.
Thanks Rose but they did transfer him Friday now there is up to a 30 day period before he can make calls
Hey there Ashleigh and Rose, if it helps to hear, my experience was that prison was better than county. For example, we had a job, and more chances for outdoor recreation in prison. Both of those things helped me keep my head on straight. Being too bored and sitting around cooped up together makes for trouble in my book. Just my two cents, everyone’s experience is different. Peace ~ Magnum
That’s what we heard too…but then when my son transferred he stayed in a transfer unit with nothing, no classes other than Changes. While in there he had said if he ever went back (but I’m not mom I promise lol) he wanted to go to a “real” unit where doing time was much easier. Def different per person and I guess per unit type. No rhyme or reason or standard for any of it…each person has a different experience, I’m just glad my sons experience was enough to ensure he don’t wanna go back lol.
Hello, Rose.my son was sentence to 5 years 304 days of back time. He has not been transferred from bexa rcounty yet but his family is moving back to our home soon. do you know anything about the transfer from one state to another?
Hey Jasmine, TDCJ is not usually going to transfer an inmate to another state. As far as they are concerned, simply because an inmate has his family in another state is usually not a reason. Sometimes when an inmate gets out on parole, they may be able to have an interstate compact where their parole is transferred to another state. Hopefully, this might be something possible your son can be considered for when it’s time for him to parole out. Good luck to you and him. Peace ~ Magnum
Hi Rose I hope all is well. I have a question… Do you know what FI-2 means in a parole decision? I just found out my husband got approved for parole after the 1st time and it says this online:
Last Parole Decision
Approved on 04/29/2016
FI-2 (07/2016)- Release on parole on a specified future date (07/2016).
Any idea on if 7/2016 is when he will be released?
Hey Shaneka – F1-2 is good, that means he is approved to be released on a certain date and he doesn’t have to complete requirements or anything. You will probably be hearing of the date soon. Peace ~ Magnum
Thanks Magnum that’s awesome! I can’t wait!
yay!!! That is so awesome I’m so excited for yall!!! Does the 7/2016 match up with his PRD? If I’m thinking correctly he should be released or a release date set in July! Ahhh yall are almost done! All is moving forward okay here…just hanging out and holding on lol. Been a sucky weekend with my grandbaby sick with a tummy bug, I’m ready to go back to work tomorrow so I can have a break lol. I’m so very excited for you!!!
I know how you feel Rose, I have 3 boys and when they’re sick it’s the worst. And yes work is a nice little getaway sometimes lol. No his PRD still says 10-20-2016 on the tdcj site. So maybe it will change since the parole decision was just made this past Friday. I’m not sure but I hope so! Yes this storm is almost over I’ve been praying and keeping the faith. Thank you Rose!
Hi, all! I have a question.. I finally got my first regular visit with my husband on Saturday, after what seemed like forever with him in Intake at Holliday. First parole denied (expected) on 04/14 — but first thing this morning I see he’s been moved to Lychner (medical??) AND he’s under Parole Review again? I’m so confused about all of this… His PRD is in October 2016, they’ve started his SSN card, Birth Certificate and stuff, but I don’t understand his parole review again already? Is it because he’s moved? Thanks for any advice!
My understanding is when they first go in they get reviewed after six months, then again the next six months. If both of those are denied then its yearly. That PRD is a pretty good guess as to when he will be out, my experience any way. Looks to me like they are getting him ready to go home on/around his PRD. As long as he doesnt have any cases or any issues in there holding him back he should do good this review. Hang in there!
Does anybody know if my husband is at Willacy County but originally from San Antonio can support letters be sent to the Parole in Austin or does he have to send it to a specific IPO?? I’m just wondering if the letters would get lost or if they get transferred to where they belong??
I believe they all end up in his file…but I would want my support letters to be at the office of the board he is under. I would worry that they didn’t make it in time or maybe didn’t get sent. I’m a worrier like that lol.
How do u find out where they go?? He’s in a private jail. They are so inconsistent there I hate it.
I just googled parole board rudd unit is how I found which one I needed…if you give me the unit name Ill look for you.
He’s at the Willacy County State Jail
SAN ANTONIO BOARD OFFICE
2902 N.E. Loop 410, Suite #206
San Antonio, TX 78218
210-564-3721
210-564-3726 Fax
This is the board for that unit.
Thank you so much Rose!! I greatly appreciate your help my husband doesn’t believe this discussion board exists lol. Btw if parole is denied the first time, do I resubmit new letters??
Youre welcome!! I know how much help this site was to me and I’m just trying to pay it forward. I sent a letter the second time around, but am probably the only one that did in our case. I know everything stays in their file but I just felt like an updated letter would be good.
Hey Rose, how’s it going in your world? I’ve been having a hard time making it on here to reply, and keep up with everyone. And there isn’t a lot going on here lately, not so many questions. That is normal, there are ups and downs. Anyway, hope you are doing well. Thanks for keeping an eye out on here. Peace to you and your family ~ Magnum
Hey Magnum! Was thinking of posting a how yall doing post lol. Been wondering about you! All is well…all kids doing great…waiting on resolution of the second dwi situation, but that too has brought good…just coasting along working on my house and enjoying no bs lol. Hope all is well with you and your family. This page is just a part of my morning coffee routine and sometimes randomly during the day when I need a break from life lol. So glad to hear from you!!
Right on, Rose, glad to hear things are going well. I need to get writing a new blog post, got a couple things in mind and will try to get to that pretty quick. By the way, if you ever want to write a post from the point of view of a parent of someone incarcerated that would be real cool. Just throwing it out there. Peace ~ Magnum
Looking forward to reading a new post! Thanks for the offer, I may just do that!
Hey Magnum,
So my boyfriend was approved for parole on May 15, 2016. He was approved FI-3R (08/2016). I called parole hot line and they said he would be home in November but the facility said he would be home in August if he finish his class. I don’t know who is right. He was picked up on the 16th and is currently at Bryd Unit. How long do you think he’ll be there and will they send him anywhere after he leaves Bryd? Thanks in Advance!
Hey Magnum,
So my boyfriend was approved for parole on May 15, 2016. He was approved FI-3R (08/2016). I called parole hot line and they said he would be home in November but the facility said he would be home in August if he finish his class. I don’t know who is right. He was picked up on the 16th and is currently at Bryd Unit. How long do you think he’ll be there and will they send him anywhere after he leaves Bryd? Thanks in Advance! Hopefully I see your reply soon.
Do you know his projected release date? That’s usually pretty accurate as to when they will be home. No telling on staying or transferring…they move them as they want to move them lol. But if Byrd is not a release unit he will transfer closer to home time to a release unit.
His projected release date is his Maximum Sentence date which is May 12, 2016. I just want to you know FI-3R (08/2016) means?
F1-R3 is that he will be transferred to a rehab unit, like Segovia or even just another unit with a Changes class. What happens sometimes is completing a class or rehab is a condition for release – that is what F1-R3 means – but they can’t get him a space at the rehab or class. Once he completes that he will be released on parole.
I honestly don’t know what in the world. Ive not heard of anyone being there past their max date.
Sorry I meant May 12,2017.
lol okay that makes more sense…ditto what Magnum said. You will just have to check the site or with Release closer to August to see what an actual release date is. Hang in there, looks like its almost over!
I have a question about Parole.. Do they do house visits before release and does anybody know if an offender gets transferred to a specific release unit for pick up or how does that work?? thx!!
Hi there Cel. Parole did come by my home to verify address. I wasn’t home at the time. They called me, I offered to leave work and go meet them if they wanted to go back and they said no they just needed to verify the address. They do transfer to a release unit to be released. If coming home on any type of monitor then they go to Huntsville for release, otherwise I guess the nearest release unit to home is what happens.
You’re the best Rose as always!! Thank you!! His parole review is coming up and I’m getting all kinds of lawyers trying to get me to hire them to create a parole packet but I already everything myself. Even requested to speak to a parole board member even if I get denied the request. Always a pleasure..hope all is well for you too 🙂
Sounds like you got it down! I did my own stuff too…didn’t have the money for a parole lawyer and didn’t find where it made sure anything turned out any differently than just doing it on my own. All is well here. Just living lol. Praying for a good vote for yall!! Keep me posted!!
So I have a question. How long does it take for a person to be back on parole review after they get denied? All I hear is ppl saying they got a year set off does that mean it’s a whole year or do they usually go in review in 4-6months?? Also when a person gets approved how long does it usually take for the PRD date to change??
When they first go to TDCJ they are reviewed at six months, then the following six months. If denied both times it then goes to yearly reviews. I don’t think the PRD changes, but there is a release date. I cant remember for sure lol sorry. My sons PRD didn’t change, except by just a few days because of the holidays when he made his second parole. For us the PRD was accurate and the date that parole was set for.
So I have a question. My husbands parole eligibility date is 7-8-16. I’ve sent support letters and requested to speak with Parole. I’ve gotten letters confirming they’ve received everything. Unfortunately he hasn’t seen parole and Parole said that date is an estimate and it can take longer?? Is anyone familiar with this that can explain how it works or the process??
Hi there, my two cents being a counselor, mentor and re-entry coach. FI-2 varies from person to person- but usually it means they need to complete a specific class. It often equates to around 8-10 more weeks before their release. With the date being so close, he may not know until ten days (sometimes less) before his release date. I suggest checking it mid morning M-F. They often make decisions one day then post them the next day. I’ve had clients with as few as a few days notice till release, and some as early as months in advance. Yay for you and your hubby! Praying for a fantastic reconciliation for the two of you and a smooth transition from prison back to free life. Read up on how they feel when they get released. Expect that he will probably be overwhelmed for a while. He may need some serious time to just veg out and relax and even not be around a whole lot of people or social settings. Prayers coming your way!
how do u know UR person of interest is safe?
There is no way to know 100%…you just pray and wait to hear from them. They are okay, its not fun and at times its hard but they are okay.
I have another question. I looked at the parole review for my son. I understood everything except this
NEXT REVIEW (11/2016)- Deny favorable parole action and set for next review.
can you explain? Does this mean he is going to be denied again?
That means is first parole was denied and they will review him again 11/16. You can pretty much use his PRD (projected release date) as a guideline. Seems that most times as long as they do good in there and stay out of trouble that date is a pretty good idea of when they are getting out.
My boyfriend has been in prison for 3 years. He just got denied parole 2 months ago. That was the second time he went for parole and they denied him. His official date to get out is 2019. Just want to know what this means? Will he be able to get parole next year?
Denied on 03/29/2016
NEXT REVIEW (03/2017)- Deny favorable parole action and set for next review.
What is the projected release date? A lot of times this is the date to keep your eye on…as long as they don’t get in any trouble that’s a pretty good judge of when they are getting out. Theres not way to know 100% when they will vote to approve parole…all you can do is wait it out. It sucks I know. Hang in there!
So they have to get approved for parole to be released on the PRD?
Yes, if it is before the end of their term, then they will need to be approved to be released. Family and friends can send letters of support for the inmate’s parole packet, and information about where they can live and all that. And of course the inmate’s behavior comes into play. Hopefully your loved one makes their parole. Good luck ~ Magnum
Hi. My fiancé was at the Holliday unit and I sent him a package. Now it’s saying he was moved to the Goodman unit. Will he still receive the package?
all mail follows them, it may take longer to get to him, but he will get it.
My husband is supposed to be in a safp program but he’s been to three different units ( Byrd, darrington, garza west) I also haven’t heard from him in three weeks.
I didn’t deal with safp but did hear thru my son and others in there that theres a waiting list. I’m sorry you haven’t heard from him, hopefully you will hear from him soon either by mail or phone. How long has he been in there? I mean how close together are these transfers?
Hi Iam looking for my friend she was last in corpus county but got transferred how can i find out where she got transferred to
Hey Jo, If you go to offender.tdcj.texas.gov/OffenderSearch/ and enter your friend’s name and any other information you have, it will bring up her name if she was just transferred from County to TDC. It can take a couple days for her to show up, but once she does you can send her mail. Always include the TDC number that you will see, that is her ID in prison and it has to be on the envelope. Remember everything you write to your friend will be reviewed before she gets her mail. You can use a service like JPay.com to send her mail via “email” – which you write on the computer and the prison prints out and gets it to her. She must reply using regular paper and pencils. If you can add money to her commissary account via JPay.com or Western Union, she can buy stamps, envelopes, and all that. Good luck to you and your friend and peace to y’all ~ Magnum
good morning. quick question. my husband was in middleton for almosst 60 days. he never got to use the phone.but i was lucky enough to go see him last week. he got transfered to rudd unit this week. do you know why they get transfered to other transfer facilites. he got approved for parole . but he has a hold for state jail. so im guessing he will be moved there soon. another question. does every time he gets moved does the process of waiting to make calls and visits start all over.
Hi Ana…my son was at Rudd and stayed until released, then transferred to Huntsville for release. Rudd is a transfer facility but it also houses those with 2 years or less. Since your husband went from Middleton to Rudd then he probably will not go to one of the State Jail Divisions. My son had a 2 year TDCJ and 6 month State Jail. He did not make his first parole…but after the six months passed he did get a line class change and good time added so that his PRD was a few weeks closer. He did make his second parole and was released Nov 25 of last year. I don’t know what your husbands charge is, that kinda depends on things as well as how they behave/adjust in there. Rudd is awesome because unless they get restricted then all the visits are contact! I only had to see my son once thru glass then the rest of the time we sat across the table from each other. Your husbands PRD is probably a pretty good estimate of when he will be released. If they release him on an ankle monitor then he will go to Huntsville for release. Hope this helps a little! Hang in there!
I’m sorry, I forgot your question about waiting on phone calls/visits. My experience is that the longest you have to wait is 48-72 hours, just to give them time to do the voice recognition stuff for the phone and get him all processed. No more waiting like that first round.
So quick rundown and questions. My husband was sentenced to 4 years tdc and 2 years state on 2/2016 to run concurrent. He was eligible for parole on 3/1/2016. We send support letters and got I got a call from parole asking questions about him and were he would stay after..all the normal parole process. He got an Fi-1 and parole approved on 3/25. He was in middleton for the first 55 days. After parole got approved he was moved to Rudd, then Huntville. The tdc online system said his PRT was 7/2017 and released to detainer under the parole section and release location is hunstville. I spoke to the parole people earlier this week, they told me he is being transferred to Hutchins by the end of this week and he should do the rest of his 2yr state sentence there. He had some back time from his previous stays at county. Well now the system says PRD of 10/2017 and no information of parole is there. It says info not available. My question is why do they change information on the system and does parole approval ever change? After they approved it can they change their minds? BTW its been almost 70 days and he has not seen ucc and still unable to make calls. Very frustrating. He also has been in like 4 different locations in 1 week, so im not sure if he is able to get my jpay. Last night I tried sending him a letter on jpay and It said error, inmate/ location not found or not match found. Very weird.
I know your letters will follow him and catch up to him, how long this takes I don’t know, probably a while ugh. They update the system according to their records. I don’t know why his PRD changed unless it was to bring the PRD closer to the 2 year mark on the state jail sentence. Its my understanding that the state jail sentences are day for day and if I remember correctly they have to do at least 85% of that before release. The detainer may be the state jail sentence, which will have to be completed before release. JPAY may not of found him last night because he was being moved to Hutchins. I’m sorry I’m not much help…I would be calling and driving people crazy wanting straight answers, which sometimes are hard to get as it seems everyone tells you something different. The site too maybe waiting to update with his new unit, etc. As with any sentence/parole I would keep my eye on the PRD as being pretty close to accurate on release date. Hang in there!
Hi ana!! My boyfriend is in a similar boat to yours. He got 2 years TDCJ and six months state jail. He was approved parole on 4/20. Its been 53 days and he still hasn’t been moved to a different unit and we still arent able to make calls. Have you been able to do so since this post? and I was wondering how you were able to have someone answer your questions. I tried to ask this lady about where he might be transferred or when but they said they werent allowed to say anything which I understand because they dont want any to have a planned escape but was curious to know how I could get more info than I already have
I found this on state jail sentencing…https://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/divisions/cid/cid_support_ops_class_HB2649.html
Everything is based on how they adjust in there and act. Praying you get some answers and that things go as smoothly as possible.
So he is finally at hutchins. When he went to state his tdc number also changed. i was not aware of that. so when i was trying to send him a jpay or money it would not allow me to because of the inmate number not matching. so i had to add his new number to my jpay account. i was not aware of that. I am just hoping he does the voice recognition soon so he can call. and i hope and pray i get to see him this weekend. 70 plus days without hearing him seams like forever! i was not aware they would take this long. Thanks for all your help. thanks for the website info! this process and learning the system is no fun.
Hey Ana, hope things settle down for y’all soon. Hang in there. Peace ~ Magnum
Huh, that must be something new. I never heard of that. I was told State Jail is always day for day. The whole State Jail sentence is a messed up thing anyway if you read the history of it. It works out cruddy because you can do more time on a State Jail offense which is a lesser offense, than you can for a TDC offense. Maybe that is why they do this credit thing now.
Its crazy for sure! Ana your situation in comparison with mine proves that they do what they want and how they want with stuff and nothing is ever the same inmate by inmate. They had told my son that since he had 2 years tdcj and 6 months state he would just go to tdcj because it was less work/hassle than if he went to state jail and had to be transferred, cut down on paperwork by doing just the time in tdcj instead of both places. Obviously that’s not always the case since yours is complete opposite of what we were told. Hoping and praying you get to visit and have calls soon…those things keep them hanging in there and us too!
Yes i am learning all cases are totally diffrent. Thanks for that web site i told him what he needs to do to get the 20% time reduction. i got a letter finally afer 2 weeks. but in total he has been in the tdc system for 75 days. crazy how it takes so long. he is stillnot able to get visitors and make calls. he doesnt have to go through the whole process. all he needs to see now is sociology and ucc. then he should be able to see visitors. it just gets so frushtrating waiting and waiting. but he is doing ok so that was good to know. I wonder how long it takes for state to finish their process.
I’m sorry this processing is taking so long for him…I can only imagine how frustrating it is for you. All you can do is wait and wait some more, something I’m not great at lol. Hang in there…each day is a day closer to it being over!
Wha is parole like, is there anyway that hr can put another address on there that he can stay he said he put mine and his moms informatiob but they only calld his mom so guessing that the only address they will have for him is there anyway he can add ajother
They parole out to one address only…my son had our address down and then asked about changing it to his wifes, but was told it can prolong parole and that it was easier/faster to change address once out…so he just left it alone.
So, my fiance has an 8 year sentence, went up for parole the first time but was denied. he is now under parole review again but all of a sudden was transferred. His project release date is a year from now, but he has not done anything wrong, was in faith based dorm, during the parole interview they asked him for my information etc. we are under the impression he will make parole, so is the transfer a good thing? I mean he is being transferred while in the process. Also the chain was the biggest that unit had seen, like 49 people made chain, several have already been approved and several, like him are in the process and then the rest are about to be in the process. I’m praying this means they are moving him closer to home to get him ready to come home. He has nothing on him that would warrant any classes he has to take before being released and he was proactive and joined any class available so it would look good to parole board. Are there any thoughts on this?
I don’t know that the transfer has anything to do with parole. They transfer to different units for different reasons, sometimes just because of availability of room/space. I don’t have any experience with an 8 year sentence, so I really cant speak to that…what experience I do have is that the PRD is usually a good guide as to release date. I know every little thing gives us some hope and that is good, just try not to focus too much on it…so if it doesn’t work out the way you want then you wont be tooooo disappointed. Praying for you that this is all a good sign and a good thing.