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Texas state prisons

TDCJ inmate search: the Texas prison inmate list

Updated . Independent guide, not a government site.

We hold a copy of the public Texas state prison list: 144,466 people. Search it by name below, or use the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's own search, which is the source of record.

Agency
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Official search
TDCJ Inmate Search
ID number
TDCJ number
People in our copy
144,466

Open the TDCJ Inmate SearchSearch Texas records here

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) runs a public search called TDCJ Inmate Search. You can search by last name plus at least the first initial, TDCJ number, or SID (state identification) number.

  • Only people incarcerated in a TDCJ facility now are included.
  • TDCJ updates the search on working days only, so the information is at least 24 hours old.
  • A name search looks for an exact match of the last name.

The number to write down is the TDCJ number. You will need it to send money or mail, to set up calls and visits, and to find the same person again.

Search the Texas inmate list on our site

Our copy of the public Texas prison list has 144,466 people, copied October 15, 2026. Search by name, or open a prison to see everyone we list there. Records are copied from public sources and may be out of date; the department's search is the source of record.

State prison, county jail or federal prison?

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice holds people serving state prison sentences. Someone arrested in the last few days is almost always in a county jail instead, and will not show up in the state prison search yet. For a recent arrest, start with the county: open our Texas page and pick the county where the arrest happened.

People sentenced for federal crimes are held by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, which has its own search. See federal inmate search (BOP).

Mail, calls and money for someone in TDCJ

You will need the person's TDCJ number for almost everything.

  • Mail: personal letters, cards and photos go to TDCJ's digital mail center, which scans them to the person's tablet: Texas Department of Criminal Justice, the person's full first and last name and TDCJ number, PO Box 660400, Dallas, TX 75266-0400. Legal mail, books and publisher subscriptions go to the unit instead.
  • Calls: register your phone number first (you need the TDCJ number). Calls run from 5:00 a.m. to midnight, last up to 30 minutes, and are monitored except calls to the attorney of record.
  • Money: send a money order or cashier's check payable to "Inmate Trust Fund for [name and number]" with a deposit slip to Inmate Trust Fund, PO Box 60, Huntsville, TX 77342-0060, or use one of the online vendors TDCJ lists. Do not send money to the unit.

Visiting rules are on our TDCJ visitation page. Details from TDCJ Contact Inmates and TDCJ Commissary and Trust Fund.

After you find them

Questions

What do I need to search the TDCJ inmate list?

The TDCJ Inmate Search lets you search by last name plus at least the first initial, TDCJ number, or SID (state identification) number. A full legal name or the ID number works best.

Someone was just arrested in Texas. Will they be in the TDCJ search?

Usually not. People who were just arrested are held in a county jail first. They are moved to a state prison only after a sentence to state prison. Check the county jail where the arrest happened.

How current is the Texas inmate list on searchinmates.org?

We copy the public Texas prison list on a schedule and show the date of our latest copy. People are moved and released every day, so confirm anything important with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

Is searchinmates.org part of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice?

No. searchinmates.org is a private website. It is not affiliated with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice or any government agency. The department's own search is the source of record.

Sources

We opened each of these pages on October 14, 2026. Rules and numbers change, so check the source before you act.

  • TDCJ Inmate Search, Texas Department of Criminal Justice. How the search works and what it covers.
  • Contact Inmates, Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Phone calls, e-messaging and the digital mail address.
  • Commissary & Trust Fund, Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Trust fund deposits by mail, monthly debit and approved online vendors, and eCommDirect.
  • Correctional Institutions, Bureau of Justice Statistics. How jails (run locally) differ from prisons (run by a state or the federal government).

searchinmates.org is a private website, not a government site, and is not affiliated with any agency named here. This page is general information, not legal advice. Removing a record from our site is always free: request removal.