Texas Inmate Search
Table of Contents
How Are Inmate Records in Texas Created and Stored?
Inmate records in Texas are first created when a person is arrested. Then those records are updated and follow the inmate throughout the entire justice system. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is the government agency in charge of inmate records. They keep them online and searchable in a database which is updated frequently. This allows the general public the ability to run an inmate search at any time of day or night.
How Does a Texas Offender Search Work?
Finding someone in prison in Texas is straightforward. The process for finding someone in jail is different, however. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice offender search feature makes it easy to lookup a prison inmate in Texas. Follow the easy instructions below:
- Visit the Texas Department of Criminal Justice website
- On the home page, look for the button labeled "Offender Information" and click it
- From the list of links, choose the one called "Online Offender Search"
- Now you can enter the offender's name, TDCJ number, SID number, gender, or race
- Click the "Search" button
- The results will show in a table with the inmate's name, TDCJ number, race, gender, release date, facility, and date of birth
- You can click any inmate's name to see additional details about them
Additionally, the Infotracer tool is another excellent way to lookup inmate records, arrests, criminal histories, court cases, and more!
What Does Texas’s Prison System Look Like?
The state of Texas has an enormous amount of correctional facilities both at the county, state, and federal level. The prison system in Texas includes:
95 State Adult Prisons- 10 Private Prisons
- 6 Juvenile detention facilities
- 19 Federal Prisons
- 150 County jails
Did you Know?
- 91% of prison inmates in Texas are male, 9% female.
- From 1979–80 to 2012–13, state and local government expenditures on corrections in Texas increased by 850 percent (from $603,832,570 to $5,736,222,000).
- As of 2016, there were 14,335 women in Texas federal prisons.
- As of 2016, the reported number of non-U.S. citizens held in custody in Texas was 8331
- Between 2007 and 2016, the Texas prison population decreased by 5%
Types of Jails and Prisons in Texas
The state of Texas has ninety-five of its own state-run prisons but also uses ten private facilities to hold inmates. All of these institutions are overseen by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. The Texas Juvenile Justice Department also runs six juvenile detention facilities. The federal government has nineteen federal prison facilities in the state of Texas. Additionally, there are one hundred and fifty county jails throughout the state-run by local Sheriff's Offices.
How Many People are Locked up in Texas?
Texas’s prison system holds 163,703 residents in various kinds of correctional facilities, from which 137,915 residents are held in state prisons, 45 in juvenile correctional facilities, and 12,051 in local jails.
| Correctional Facilities: | Totals: |
|---|---|
| Juvenile Correctional Facilities | 45 |
| State Prisons | 137,915 |
| Local Jails | 12,051 |
| Private Prisons | 13,692 |
Texas State Prisons
Texas has a lot of state prisons. Each has a different focus, demographics, and units for different levels of custody (minimum-security to maximum-security). They are operated and managed by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. The ninety-five state prisons in Texas include:
- Byrd Unit (Huntsville)
- Duncan Transfer (Diboll)
- Eastham Unit (Lovelady)
- Ellis Unit (Huntsville area)
- Estelle Unit (Huntsville area)
- Ferguson Unit (Midway)
- Goodman Transfer (Jasper)
- Goree Unit (Huntsville)
- Holliday Transfer (Huntsville)
- Huntsville Unit
- Lewis Unit (Woodville)
- Polunsky Unit (Livingston)
- Wynne Unit (Huntsville)
- Beto Unit (Palestine)
- Boyd Unit (Teague)
- Coffield Unit (Palestine area)
- Cole State Jail (Bonham)
- Gurney Transfer (Palestine area)
- Hodge DDP Unit (Rusk)
- Hutchins State Jail (Dallas)
- Johnston SAFP (Winnsboro)
- Michael Unit (Palestine area)
- Moore, C. Transfer (Bonham)
- Powledge Unit (Palestine)
- Skyview Psychiatric Unit (Rusk)
- Telford Unit (New Boston)
- Clemens Unit (Brazoria)
- Darrington Unit (Rosharon)
- Gist State Jail (Beaumont)
- Henley State Jail (Dayton/Female)
- Hightower Unit (Dayton)
- Hospital Galveston
- Jester I SAFP (Richmond)
- Jester III Unit (Richmond)
- Jester IV Psychiatric Unit (Richmond)
- LeBlanc Unit (Beaumont)
- Lychner State Jail (Humble)
- Plane State Jail (Dayton/Female)
- Ramsey Unit (Rosharon)
- Scott Unit (Angleton)
- Stiles Unit (Beaumont)
- Stringfellow (Rosharon)
- Terrell Unit (Rosharon)
- Young Medical Facility (Dickinson)
- Vance Unit (Richmond)
- Briscoe Unit (Dilley)
- Connally Unit (Kenedy)
- Cotulla Transfer
- Dominguez State Jail (San Antonio)
- Fort Stockton Transfer
- Garza East Transfer (Beeville)
- Garza West Transfer (Beeville)
- Glossbrenner SAFP (San Diego)
- Lopez State Jail (Edinburg)
- Lynaugh Unit (Fort Stockton)
- McConnell Unit (Beeville)
- Ney State Jail (Hondo)
- Sanchez State Jail (El Paso Area)
- Segovia Transfer (Edinburg)
- Stevenson Unit (Cuero)
- Torres Unit (Hondo)
- Allred Unit (Wichita Falls)
- Clements Unit (Amarillo)
- Dalhart Unit
- Daniel Unit (Snyder)
- Formby State Jail (Plainview)
- Jordan Unit (Pampa)
- Montford Psychiatric Unit (Lubbock)
- Neal Unit (Amarillo)
- Roach Boot Camp (Childress)
- Roach Unit (Childress)
- Smith Unit (Lamesa)
- Tulia Transfer
- Wallace Unit (Colorado City)
- Western Regional Medical Facility-Montford (Lubbock)
- Wheeler State Jail (Plainview)
- Crain Unit (Female/Gatesville)
- Halbert SAFP (Burnet/Female)
- Hamilton Unit (Bryan)
- Havins State Jail (Brownwood)
- Hilltop Unit (Gatesville/Female)
- Hobby Unit (Marlin/Female)
- Hughes Unit (Gatesville)
- Luther Unit (Navasota)
- Marlin Transfer
- Middleton Transfer (Abilene)
- Mountain View Unit (Gatesville/Female)
- Murray Unit (Gatesville/Female)
- Pack Unit (Navasota)
- Robertson Unit (Abilene)
- San Saba Transfer
- Sayle SAFP (Breckenridge)
- Travis Co. State Jail (Austin)
- Woodman State Jail - (Gatesville/Female)
How to Search for State Prison Inmates
The process of searching for an inmate in a state prison in Texas is very easy. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice keeps all inmate records online and searchable. Simply, follow the instructions below to find an inmate in a Texas state prison:
- Visit the Texas Department of Criminal Justice website .
- On the home page, look for the button labeled "Offender Information" and click it.
- From the list of links, choose the one called "Online Offender Search."
- Now you can enter the offender's name, TDCJ number, SID number, gender, or race.
- Click the "Search" button.
- The results will show in a table with the inmate's name, TDCJ number, race, gender, release date, facility, and date of birth.
- You can click any inmate's name to see additional details about them.
Texas Federal Prisons
The Federal Bureau of Prisons also has nineteen federal prison facilities inside Texas. They have an extensive website with information on each institution, and the demographics held there. The list of federal prisons in Texas includes:
- Bastrop FCI
- Beaumont FCC
- Big Spring (Flightline) CI
- Big Spring CI
- Big Spring FCI
- Bryan FPC
- Carswell FMC
- Dallas RRM
- Fort Worth FMC
- Giles W. Dalby CI
- Grand Prairie
- Houston FDC
- La Tuna FCI
- Reeves III CI
- San Antonio RRM
- Seagoville FCI
- South Central RO
- Texarkana FCI
- Three Rivers FCI
How to Search for Federal Prison Inmates
Finding someone in a Texas federal prison is different than finding someone in a state or private prison. The Federal Bureau of Prisons (FOB) is the entity in charge of all federal facilities. Therefore, anyone wanting information on a federal inmate must contact them directly. They do have a good website with aTexas inmate locator feature on it and information about visitation and sending money or gifts to inmates.
Texas County Jails
Texas has one hundred and fifty county jails. These facilities are overseen and managed by local law enforcement. The list includes:
- Albany, former Shackelford County Jail Feature.
- Alice - Jim Wells County Jail.
- Alpine, former Brewster County Jail.
- Andrews - former Andrews County Jail.
- Archer City, former Archer County Jail.
- Arp - Calaboose.
- Athens, former Henderson County Jail.
- Baird, Callahan County, old and new jails.
- Ballinger, former Runnels County jail.
- Bandera, Bandera County former jail.
- Bastrop - Bastrop County Old Jail.
- Baytown, Chambers/Harris Counties, former Goose Creek Jail.
- Bellville - Former Austin County Jail.
- Belton - Former Bell County Jail.
- Benjamin, Knox County, former jail.
- Best Jail - Reagan County Feature.
- Blanco - 1877 Old Blanco County Jail.
- Boerne, Kendall County Jail.
- Brackettville, Kinney County Jail.
- Brady, McCulloch County Jail Feature.
- Brownfield - Terry County's First Jail Feature.
- Brownsville - Cameron County Jails.
- Brownwood - Brown County Jail Museum.
- Burnet - Former Burnet County Jail Feature.
- Cameron, Milam County Jailhouse and the Jailhouse Ghost.
- Canadian, Hemphill County old jail.
- Carbon Old Jail.
- Carrizo Springs - Dimmit County Jail 11-18-18.
- Carthage, Former Panola County jail.
- Center, Shelby County, former jail.
- Chillicothe, Former City Jail.
- Clairemont, Kent County old jail.
- Clairemont Jail.
- Clarksville, Red River County Jail.
- Claude, Armstrong County Jail.
- Coldspring, Old San Jacinto County Jail.
- Coleman, Coleman County Jail Feature.
- Columbus - Colorado County Jail.
- Comanche, Comanche County jail.
- Corpus Christi, Nueces County old jail.
- Corsicana City Jail.
- Dallas County Jail Feature.
- Decatur, Wise County Jail - Old Stone Prison Feature.
- Del Rio, Val Verde County Jail Feature.
- Dell City, Hudspeth county.
- Desdemona, Eastland County old jail.
- Dickens, Dickens County Jail.
- Eagle Pass, Maverick County Jail.
- East Bernard - Old Holding Cell.
- Eastland - former Eastland County Jail.
- Edna - Jackson County Jail.
- Eldorado - former Schleicher County Jail.
- Fairfield - Freestone County former jail.
- Farwell - Parmer County Jail.
- Floydada - Floyd County Jail.
- Fort Davis - Jeff Davis County Jail.
- Fort Griffin.
- Fort Stockton, Pecos County, Pecos County Jail.
- Franklin - Robertson County Jail.
- Fredericksburg, Gillespie County jail.
- Frio Town - The 1872 Frio County Old Jail Rare photos.
- Gail - Former Borden County Jail Feature.
- Gainesville - Cooke County Jail.
- Garden City, former Glasscock County jail.
- Georgetown, Williamson County old jail.
- Glen Rose - Somervell County Jail.
- Goldsmith, former city jail.
- Goldthwaite - Mills County jail.
- Gonzales - Gonzales County jail Feature.
- Graham - Young County Jail Feature.
- Granbury, Hood County old jail.
- Groveton, Trinity County jail.
- Guthrie - King County jail.
- Hallettsville - The Old Lavaca County Jail Feature.
- Hamilton, Hamilton County jail Feature.
- Hartley - First Hartley County Jail.
- Hebbronville - Jim Hogg County Jail.
- Helena - Strap Iron Jail.
- Hemphill - Former Sabine County Jail Feature.
- Henderson, Rusk County jail.
- Henrietta, former Clay county jail.
- Hidalgo County Jail, Edinburg Texas.
- Hidalgo - Former Hidalgo County Jail.
- Hillsboro, Former Hill County jail Feature.
- Holliday.
- Hondo, Medina County Jail.
- Johnson City, Blanco County Jail Feature.
- Jourdanton - Atascosa County Jail.
- Junction - Kimble County Jail.
- Kemp - Once held Bonnie Parker.
- Kirbyville - Former Jail.
- Kyle City Jail - old jail and sign.
- La Grange - Former Fayetter County Jail Feature.
- Centerville - Leon County Jail.
- Llano, Llano County jail.
- Lockhart - Former Caldwell County Jail Feature.
- Lubbock, Lubbock County Jail.
- Marathon, former Brewster County jail.
- Marfa, Presidio County, jail and water tower.
- Mason, Mason County jail.
- Matador - Motley County Jail.
- McKinney, Collin County Prison.
- Menard - Menard County Jail Feature.
- Mobeetie, Wheeler County Jail.
- Montague, Montague County Jail.
- Montgomery - Old Montgomery County Iron Cage Jail.
- Mount Vernon, Franklin County jail.
- Navasota, Grime County, former jail.
- New Boston, Bowie County old jail.
- Oakville - Former Live Oak County Jail.
- Paducah - Former Cottle County Jail.
- Palestine, Anderson County Jail.
- Palo Pinto County Jail.
- Pearsall, Frio County Jail Feature.
- Port Lavaca, Former Calhoun County jail, razed.
- Quanah, former Hardeman County jail.
- Richmond, former Fort Bend County jail.
- Robert Lee - Former Coke County jail Feature.
- Roby, Fisher County Jail.
- Rockport - Aransas County Jail.
- Rocksprings - Edwards County Jail.
- Rockwall - Rockwall County Jail.
- Rusk Prison House.
- San Augustine County Jail.
- San Elizario - Former El Paso County Jail.
- San Jacinto County Jail.
- San Marcos - Former Hays County Jails.
- San Saba County Jail.
- Schleicher County Jail.
- Seymour - Former Baylor County Jail.
- Silverton - Former Briscoe County Jail.
- Skellytown jail.
- Snyder, Scurry County Jail of 1912 Feature.
- Somerville City Jail.
- Sonora, Sutton County Jail.
- Sour Lake Iron Cage Jail.
- Spofford - Strap-iron Jail.
- Stanton, Martin County Jail Feature 1-7-18.
- Sterling City - Sterling County Jail.
- Stockdale City Jail.
- Sweetwater, Nolan County old jail.
- Throckmorton, former Throckmorton County jail.
- Tilden, McMullen County Jail.
- Van Horn - Former Culberson County Jail.
- Vernon Texas - Former Wilbarger County Jail.
- Waller County Jail.
- Wardville - Johnson County 1854 Jail 12-23-17.
- Waxahachie, Ellis County old jail Feature.
- Wheeler, Wheeler County old jail.
- Wichita Falls - 1890 Wichita County Jail.
- Woodville - Tyler County jail.
Texas's County and Local Jail Prison Population During 2011-2016 years
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 11,906 | 10,814 | 12,527 | 11,395 | 11,093 | 12,051 |
| Male | 10,519 | 9,554 | 11,181 | 9,918 | 9,741 | 10,578 |
| Female | 1,387 | 1,260 | 1,346 | 1,477 | 1,352 | 1,473 |
How to Search for County Jail Inmates
Because all jails are managed and run by the local Sheriff's Offices, anyone looking for an inmate in jail in Texas would need to contact the county Sheriff's Office directly.
Texas Juvenile Detention Centers
The Texas Juvenile Justice Department is the agency in charge of youth offenders. They keep six juvenile detention centers to house minors who have committed crimes. The list of juvenile detention centers in Texas includes:
- Evins Regional Juvenile Center.
- Gainesville State School.
- Giddings State School.
- McLennan County State.
- McLennan Residential Treatment Center.
- Ron Jackson State Juvenile Correctional Complex.
Juvenile Population in Custody During 2011-2016 years
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 104 | 86 | 69 | 69 | 48 | 45 |
| Male | 97 | 81 | 67 | 66 | 41 | 40 |
| Female | 7 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 5 |
How to Search for Inmates in Juvenile Detention Center Inmates
Juvenile records are private and not searchable online. Therefore anyone wanting information about an inmate in a Texas juvenile detention center must contact the Texas Juvenile Justice Department or the facility itself. Their website includes information on visitation and phone calls.
Texas Private Prisons
Due to the vast number of people incarcerated in Texas, they also outsource some of their population to private prisons. These private prisons, however, are overseen by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. The list of private prisons in Texas includes:
- Bridgeport (Bridgeport)
- Cleveland (Cleveland)
- Diboll (Diboll)
- Estes (Venus)
- Kyle (Kyle)
- Lockhart/Pre-Parole Transfer (Lockhart)
- Moore, B. (Overton)
- Bradshaw (Henderson)
- Lindsey (Jacksboro)
- Willacy County (Raymondville)
How to Search for an Inmate in a Texas Private Prison
The process for searching for an inmate in a Texas private prison is the same as with state prison. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice maintains all inmate records in a consolidated database that is searchable. Follow the instructions below to find an inmate in a Texas private prison.
- Visit the Texas Department of Criminal Justice website .
- On the home page, look for the button labeled "Offender Information" and click it.
- From the list of links, choose the one called "Online Offender Search."
- Now you can enter the offender's name, TDCJ number, SID number, gender, or race.
- Click the "Search" button.
- The results will show in a table with the inmate's name, TDCJ number, race, gender, release date, facility, and date of birth.
- You can click any inmate's name to see additional details about them.
Why are People Incarcerated in Texas?
Texas has about 251,000 people incarcerated in the state. Most of them (163,000) reside in state prison. Fifty-five thousand of them are in local jails, another 27,000 are in federal prisons, 4,200 are in juvenile detention, and about 1,400 are in mental institutions. More people are incarcerated in Texas for drug charges than any other crime. The second most popular reason people are in prison in Texas is property offenses and violent crimes.
Texas’s Incarceration Rate and Statistics
Texas’s incarceration rate for year-end 2016 under state prison or local jail jurisdiction per 100,000 population was 563, which is higher than an average incarceration rate by 25%. The number of Texas prisoners at the year-end of 2016 was 163,703, from which 9% were female prisoners, whereas the number of male prisoners was 149,368 in 2016.
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 633 | 601 | 600 | 584 | 569 | 563 | 553 |
| Male | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Female | 94 | 88 | 89 | 93 | 92 | 92 | 89 |
Where Do Texas Inmates Go When They are Released?
All inmates who are released from Texas prisons will return home to family and friends. Although Texas corrections programs do help with substance abuse issues and a reentry plan, they do not have facilities to help transition an inmate from prison back to society.
How Does Parole Work in Texas?
Parole is a supervisory program in Texas where an inmate is let out of prison early to return home. However, they must follow some strict rules, including regular check-ins with a parole officer. Failure to follow the rules will land them back in prison.
Parole Population
| Type of Parole Entry: | Number of Parolees: |
|---|---|
| State Parole Population: | 111,287 |
| Entries: | 35,398 |
| Exits: | 36,003 |
| Change in 2016: | 0% |
How Does Someone Get Probation in Texas?
Some judges prefer to order probation rather than prison. In cases where the offender does not pose a risk to society, this option helps with prison overcrowding. Probation is a supervisory program also where the probationer must follow a set of rules to remain free, or they will go to prison.
Probation Statistics
| Type of Parole Entry: | Number of Parolees: |
|---|---|
| State Probation Population: | 374,285 |
| Entries: | 144,055 |
| Exits: | 148,284 |
| Change in 2016: | -1% |