FAQ — TDCJ

If your pen pal is not appearing on the TDCJ Inmate Search, then they are no longer in the TDCJ system. This could mean a variety of things. Your pen pal may be in the process of moving to a different facility, they may have been released, or they may have passed away.

Over the years, the Letters for Liberation community has compiled a spreadsheet of resources for incarcerated folks. Please keep in mind that this is a crowdsourced document, and some of these resources may be out of date.

You can contact their unit directly using TDCJ’s Unit Information Directory. In order to get any status updates from unit staff, you must already be on your pen pal’s Approved Visitation List, so consider asking your pen pal early on to add your full name to their  Approved Visitation List.

Securus Technologies is TDCJ’s online portal that provides those inside with controlled internet access. This service is provided by Aventiv. The cost to connect with people via Securus has been labeled as exploitative and contributes to the ongoing financial gain of for-profit prisons. Regardless, this is the preferred means of communication for many pen pals on the inside due to the relative timeliness of message delivery compared to physical mail.

Pen pals inside the TDCJ typically have limited internet access. Each person will receive a tablet through Securus Technologies when one becomes available. These tablets can be used to access a selection of movies, podcasts, ebooks through Project Gutenberg, and educational classes through Edovo. Some of these forms of media may require commissary funds. No search engines or productivity apps, such as Notes or Calendar apps, are accessible on these tablets.

Tablets can also be used for digital communication between inside and outside pen pals. Securus users pre-fund their accounts and use virtual “stamps” to send messages, images, and videos back and forth. All messages are screened by TDCJ staff before being passed along, and timing of delivery may vary. 

The system can also be used for voice and video calls, and to send tablet-related funds (communication, entertainment, etc.) via Securus Debit.

If a tablet breaks or is lost or stolen, the cost for the inside pen pal to replace it is upwards of $100. In theory, if a tablet breaks or experiences other technological issues, inside pen pals should receive printed copies of the messages being sent to them through the system.

If you wish to send care packages, books, or subscriptions to a magazine or newspaper to your pen pal on the inside, you will need to send them directly to the unit and include your inside pen pal’s full name, TDCJ number, and unit of assignment in the recipient mailing information. Some important things to note:

• Care packages must be ordered directly through eCommDirect, and can only be sent by people on an inside pen pal’s approved friends and family list. Care packages from any other source will not be delivered.
• Books must be sent directly from a company, not from a person. For sustainability, we recommend used bookshops like ThriftBooks, Better World Books, AbeBooks, or other similar online stores.
• Some organizations are green-lit to deliver directly to certain units within the TDCJ. Check with your inside pen pal to see if they can provide you with a list of approved direct-to-unit organizations.

Sending money is allowed within the TDCJ. However, it’s important to check websites to ensure they’re both secure and verified before sending money electronically.

eCommDirect is TDCJ’s online platform that allows friends and family members of those on the inside to make commissary purchases on behalf of their loved ones, or deposit commissary funds into their accounts.

The Independent Office of Inmate Council provides quality legal services, including answering parole-related questions and criminal defense representation, to those with a financial need who are currently detained in TDCJ facilities.

If an inside pen pal has filed a grievance and appealed the decision of that grievance, and they are still not satisfied, they can bring their case to the Office of the Independent Ombudsman.This office is committed to providing the public, state officials, and interred individuals with a confidential avenue for complaint resolution by receiving, reviewing, investigating, and responding to inquiries regarding non-criminal matters within the TDCJ.

You are more than welcome to send physical mail to your inside pen pal — and in fact, that’s how all Letters for Liberation pen pal correspondences start! Our team vets the addresses of all recently-matched inside pen pals before sending you their information, to make sure your letter gets to the person you’re trying to reach. 

Physical letters from a pen pal will be sent to TDCJ’s PO Box in Dallas, TX. However, you might notice that the return address on your inside pen pal’s letter is different from the address you send your letters to. This may be to safeguard against “return to sender” situations: if, for whatever reason, their letter to you cannot be delivered, it will be sent back to the inside pen pal directly. However, that does not mean you should update your address book. Outside mail still needs to be screened by TDCJ before being delivered, which is why most will be sent directly to their PO Box.

During the screening process, TDCJ scans physical letters and cards into their system to be sent to the inside pen pal’s tablet. Pen pals on the inside who do not currently have a working tablet will receive black and white printed copies of their correspondence. For more information on this process, check out TDCJ’s Digital Mail FAQs.