Volunteer with the TDCJ

TDCJ Volunteer Notice

The COVID-19 coronavirus has been particularly devastating to those living or working in prisons, jails, and detention centers where close quarters have resulted in a dangerous spread of the disease, especially within the correctional facilities operated by TDCJ.

To protect the health and safety of volunteers, offenders, and employees, TDCJ has implemented certain steps to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 Coronavirus within its prison and jail units. These include the suspension of all volunteer visits until further notice. Also, all volunteer trainings (statewide, both within and outside of TDCJ facilities) are canceled until further notice. During this time, one’s volunteer status will not be suspended due to lack of training or retraining.

Despite these and other efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19 within its correctional facilities, TDCJ has not been exempt from the impact of the virus. A project Team from the LBJ School of Public Affairs of the University of Texas School of Law recently published a comprehensive research paper (COVID and Corrections: A Profile of COVID Deaths in Custody in Texas) that provides a detailed picture of the toll of the COVID-19 coronavirus in Texas prisons and jails. The link to the article is published by permission of its Project Director.

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The Correctional Institutions Division (CID) – Prison & Jail Operations of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) operates either directly or by contract institutional prisons, state jails and substance abuse felony punishment facilities in six (6) regional districts throughout the State of Texas. A Unit Map and Schedule of Units by Region of all TDCJ Units can be found at the CID’s website. A Unit Directory is also available which provides links to pages that contain comprehensive data on the classification, location, staffing, and other pertinent information of each unit. 

Most faith-based programs, such as Catholic service pastoral care programs conducted by volunteers in the Criminal Justice Ministry, take place in TDCJ prison and jail units, and come under the authority of the Chaplaincy Department of the Rehabilitation Programs Division of the TDCJ. 

To serve as an approved volunteer (whether clergy or lay) in a TDCJ correctional facility, one must first attend a 4-hour volunteer training/orientation session. The sessions are conducted at various times and locations throughout the state, most commonly at TDCJ correctional units. Additional information and instructions on how to become an approved volunteer can be found on TDCJ’s Volunteer Services web page.

The Restorative Justice Ministry of the Diocese of Austin in conjunction with TDCJ’s Travis County State Jail  hosts volunteer training sessions quarterly at the diocesan Pastoral Center in Austin. The dates and locations of these sessions for the 2021 calendar year are as follows:

January 16, 2021         Diocese of Austin Pastoral Center, 6225 Highway 290 E, Austin

April 17, 2021                Diocese of Austin Pastoral Center, 6225 Highway 290 E, Austin

July 17, 2021                 Diocese of Austin Pastoral Center, 6225 Highway 290 E, Austin

October 16, 2021           Diocese of Austin Pastoral Center, 6225 Highway 290 E, Austin

TDCJ Volunteer Training/Orientation Session conducted at the diocesan Pastoral Center 

All sessions are scheduled from noon to 4 p.m., although they may conclude sooner. You should plan to arrive approximately 30 minutes before the session begins to process in. To register for any of these sessions, please contact either the Office of the Restorative Justice Ministry of the Diocese (512) 949-2460 or the Chaplain’s Office at the Travis State Jail Unit (512) 926-4482.

It is important to realize that becoming an approved volunteer is only the first step towards serving in a TDCJ correctional facility. The next step is to contact the chaplain or volunteer coordinator of the facility in which you would like to serve. Placement of volunteers is based on the needs of the facility, needs of the offender population, space availability, existing program schedules, and the proposed volunteer activity. The TDCJ Rehabilitation Programs Division publishes a monthly Staff Directory of the Chaplaincy and Volunteer Services Departments from which you can obtain contact information at both the Agency and Unit level. The Office of Restorative Justice Ministry can also provide assistance in identifying volunteer needs and opportunities within TDCJ units in the Diocese and coordinating volunteer access to those units.

It is not always necessary to become an approved volunteer. If the program or activity in which one wishes to participate is of an infrequent occurrence, that person may enter a TDCJ unit as a special volunteer. To do so still requires prior approval by the chaplain of the correctional facility in which the program or activity is to be conducted, and special volunteers are limited to four (4) visits statewide. Again, the Office of Restorative Justice Ministry can assist with this process.