As of June 2019, the release of TDCJ inmates after parole has been granted has slowed significantly, based on interviews I’ve had with clients and TDCJ parole officers.
The slowdown appears to be mainly due to staff shortages at TDCJ. I hope the bottleneck isn’t permanent, but my sources seem skeptical that the issue will be fixed any time soon.
Use inmate photos to submit your photos
The Bexar County Adult Detention Center in Texas states that any prohibited items or items deemed inappropriate are mailed with a provision be returned to the sender. Information as to why the item could not be delivered. The inmate will also receive a writ in the mail explaining why he did not receive his photos or other mail. Want your loved ones to get a notification that you didn’t receive their photos?
Trust Inmate Photos, a source trusted by many people when it comes to sending photos of their loved ones awaiting trial or awaiting their time in correctional facilities across the US
What to Expect at the Texas Jail
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Everyone first goes through a reception center where they are searched, photographed, fingerprinted and questioned. The interview includes criminal history, educational history, employment history, military history, and drug use. A mental and physical examination is performed. Based on the information collected, the occupants are categorized.
An inmate of a state penitentiary will be housed in a TDCJ prison facility that is closest to the county of sentencing, has space to accommodate the inmate, and specifically meets the other classification requirements for that inmate.
Initiating Transfer Requests:
The traditional way of initiating a transfer from one prison to another requires inmates to ask their respective case manager to process the transfer records. Typically, the case manager will only accept these transfer requests during the regularly scheduled unit team meeting (discussed in later modules). If the inmate has completed 18 months of irresponsible conduct and their security clearance is consistent with the facility to which they wish to be transferred, the case manager may agree to process the records requesting transfer. These records are sent to the department head, case manager coordinator, and then to the supervisor for approval. If all parties agree to the transfer, staff at the BOP designation center in Grand Prairie, Texas will make the change.
Because the case manager, department manager, case manager coordinator, and warden must agree on a transfer before the request is forwarded to the designated officer, some inmates attempt to develop close relationships with these staff members. . Some inmates who get along with these employees may find their transfer requests successful. Others will not be so lucky. Although staff can tell an inmate that a request for transfer to a particular facility may or may not be granted, some staff actually have leverage. Those with influence can call the regional designator and increase the chances of an inmate being assigned to a specific facility.