Texas Department of Criminal Justice
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice places a significant focus on volunteer services realizing volunteers are an essential element in the rehabilitation and re-entry of offenders into the community. Volunteers assist in providing literacy and educational assistance, life skills, job skills, and parenting classes. Volunteers facilitate medical education and prevention training as well as arts and crafts programs, drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs, faith-based programming, and other programs determined by TDCJ to aid in the transition between confinement and society. The following areas provide volunteer services to offenders:
The role of the volunteer within TDCJ is to provide guidance in specific activities and programs, promote personal growth and development, provide support and assistance to victims and offenders, and help facilitate re-entry into the community. If you are interested in becoming an approved volunteer within TDCJ, you are encouraged to attend a 4-hour volunteer training session at one of the following facilities:
YOU DO NOT NEED A LETTER TO ATTEND & THERE IS NO CHARGE FOR THE TRAINING. YOU ARE REQUIRED TO CONTACT THE FACILITY TO HAVE YOUR NAME PLACED ON THE TRAINING ROSTER BEFORE ATTENDING THE TRAINING SESSION. Completion of training is not a guarantee of approval; all applications include a criminal background check and are reviewed for eligibility according to the following criteria:
If you have a specific question regarding your eligibility, you are encouraged to contact Volunteer Services at 936-437-3026. Volunteer applications, available below, will be provided at the training; however you may also choose to bring a completed application with you. (The online Volunteer Application is down for maintenance.)
If unable to attend a volunteer training session, you may either: 1) download the application, complete it electronically (on-screen), print, then send by fax or 2) download and print the application, complete it by hand, then send by postal mail. Both fax number and postal address are inside the forms below:
Additionally, the following helpful documents are available:
We would like to encourage volunteers to give their opinions to improving your experience and efforts in assisting the TDCJ in accomplishing our mission. Please feel free to fill out the on-line suggestions form or print a copy and mail it to the address listed on the bottom of the page.
Volunteer programs or services must have prior approval before implementation or presentation to the offenders. The attached program proposal form must be completed and submitted to the Rehabilitation Programs Division. Questions about the form, as well as the completed form, may be submitted electronically to program.proposal.form@tdcj.texas.gov.
Volunteers are required to retrain every two (2) years. On-line training has been developed to encourage and assist volunteers in meeting this retraining requirement. Please click on the link below to begin your retraining session. Contact Volunteer Services if you have any questions.
An online course to train volunteers to participate in the Chaplaincy Mentor Program is available. Only approved TDCJ volunteers will receive credit for this training. Those who successfully complete the course meet the requirements to serve as a volunteer mentor under the direction of a unit chaplain. To start the training, please click on the following link.
TDCJ Chaplaincy Mentor Training
The following document is available for download in both PDF and Word formats:
The Volunteer Coordination Committee (VCC) was established to coordinate programming among the various divisions to maximize the safe and successful use of volunteers. The Rehabilitation Programs Division together with the VCC provides oversight of volunteer activities within the various criminal justice settings.
TDCJ Rehabilitation Programs Division
Volunteer Services
Clint D. Morris
Two Financial Plaza, Suite 472
Huntsville, TX 77340
(936) 437-3026
TDCJ Correctional Institutions Division
861-B IH 45 North
Huntsville, Texas 77320
Private Facility Contract Monitoring/Oversight Division (PFCMOD)
Patrick Ware
Two Financial Plaza, Suite 300
Huntsville, TX 77340
(936) 437-2806
TDCJ Parole Division
Linda Anderson
8610 Shoal Creek Boulevard
Austin, Texas 78757
(512) 406-5750
TDCJ Victim Services Division
Carol Ellis
8712 Shoal Creek Boulevard, Suite 265
Austin, Texas 78757
(512) 406-5916
TDCJ/Windham School District
Melinda Cobb
P.O. Box 40
Huntsville, Texas 77342-0040
(936) 291-5357
Reentry and Integration Division (RID)
Kristi Rushing
Two Financial Plaza, Suite 650
Huntsville, Texas 77340
(936) 437-4554