# Texas

Texas licenses county jailers through the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE), while state prison officers are trained by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) and hold no license. Since 2023 the State has tightened temporary jailer appointments, required yearly de-escalation and behavioral health training for TDCJ officers, added a veterans-interaction course for jailers, raised penalties for staff who smuggle drugs, written a less-lethal force justification into the Penal Code, and required jail-operating sheriffs to seek 287(g) agreements.

Source: https://uscli.org/corrections-tracker/texas

## At a glance

- **Certifying body:** Split. County jailers are licensed by [TCOLE](https://www.tcole.texas.gov), which also licenses peace officers (Occ. Code ch. 1701; 1701.310); see the [Texas Officer Ledger page](https://uscli.org/officer-certification-tracker/texas). TDCJ correctional officers are not TCOLE-licensed; TDCJ trains them under Government Code chapter 493. Community supervision (probation) officers are certified by TDCJ’s Community Justice Assistance Division (CJAD) (Gov. Code 509.008). Parole officers are TDCJ Parole Division employees who must meet the same qualifications as community supervision officers (508.113(c)).
- **Statute:** [Occupations Code chapter 1701](https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/OC/htm/OC.1701.htm) (jailer licensing); [Government Code chapter 511](https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/GV/htm/GV.511.htm) (Commission on Jail Standards); Government Code chapters 493, 501, and 508 (TDCJ, inmate welfare, parole); chapters 76 and 509 (community supervision and corrections departments, CJAD); Local Government Code 361.082 (restraint of jail inmates in labor). Rules: 37 TAC Part 7 (TCOLE) and Part 9, chapters 251 to 301 (Commission on Jail Standards).
- **Minimum standards:** County jailers: no one may be appointed, except temporarily, without completing a TCOLE preparatory program in county jail operation that includes at least 8 hours of mental health training and, since September 1, 2025, the veterans-interaction program (Occ. Code 1701.310(a)). Jailers may be 18 ([37 TAC 217.1](https://www.tcole.texas.gov/document/adopted-rule-217-1-amended-20260601.pdf)). A temporary jailer must enroll in training within 90 days and finish within a year or be removed (1701.310(b)). TDCJ correctional officers: no statutory minimum age or education standard was checked, and TDCJ’s careers page did not display requirements on October 20, 2026. Community supervision officers need a bachelor’s degree (Gov. Code 76.005(b)); peace officers may not serve as supervision or parole officers (76.005(c); 508.113(d)).
- **Basic training:** County jailers: TCOLE’s Basic County Corrections Course (course 1121) runs “a minimum of 120 hours” under the January 2026 instructor guide, including the mental health block and, since 2025, an “Interacting with Veterans in a Jail Setting” module ([TCOLE curriculum page](https://www.tcole.texas.gov/content/course-curriculum-materials-and-updates-0)). TDCJ correctional officers: preservice training must include de-escalation, crisis intervention, and behavioral health content (Gov. Code 493.0325(e), since September 1, 2025); the academy’s length was not found on an official page. Community supervision officers must complete CJAD certification coursework and an exam within one year of hire (509.008(b)).
- **In-service training:** County jailers: the legislatively required continuing education is Cultural Diversity (course 3939) each 4-year training cycle ([37 TAC 218.3(c)(2)](https://www.tcole.texas.gov/document/adopted-rule-218-3-amended-20260901.pdf), as amended effective September 1, 2026); jailers who carry firearms must first hold the Jailer Firearms certificate (218.3(d)(10)). Jailers have no hourly requirement in 218.3 like the 40 hours every 24 months for peace officers. TDCJ correctional officers and their direct supervisors must complete de-escalation, crisis intervention, and behavioral health training every year (Gov. Code 493.0325(e)).
- **Decertification:** Jailer licenses are TCOLE licenses, so the chapter 1701 sanctions, the confidential licensing database, and the national revocation registry described on the [Texas Officer Ledger page](https://uscli.org/officer-certification-tracker/texas) apply to them (Occ. Code 1701.168, 1701.170, 1701.501 to 1701.502). No public list. No decertification system exists for TDCJ correctional officers, who hold no license; HB 4614 (2025), which would have licensed them, did not pass.
- **Jail standards:** Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS). It must adopt minimum standards for construction, equipment, maintenance, and operation of county jails and for the custody, care, and treatment of prisoners (Gov. Code 511.009(a)), inspects jails, and is continued until September 1, 2035 (511.003). Jails must report licensed jailer turnover monthly (511.0102). Standards: [37 TAC Part 9](https://www.tcjs.state.tx.us/jail-standards/).
- **Probation and parole officers:** Community supervision officers work for local community supervision and corrections departments. They need a bachelor’s degree, must follow a CJAD code of ethics, and must be CJAD-certified within one year of hire (extendable one year) or the department may not keep employing them ([Gov. Code 76.005, 509.008](https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/GV/htm/GV.509.htm)). Parole officers must meet the same qualifications (508.113(c)). Since September 1, 2025, the Parole Division may set up a waiver procedure when qualified applicants are unavailable (508.113(e)), and the Board of Criminal Justice sets the parole officer salary career ladder by rule (508.1131).
- **Restrictive housing:** TDCJ may not confine an inmate in administrative segregation without a prior mental health assessment, or if the assessment shows it is inappropriate ([Gov. Code 501.068](https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/GV/htm/GV.501.htm)). It may not place in administrative segregation an inmate who is pregnant or gave birth in the preceding 30 days unless the director or a designee finds a reasonable belief of harm or escape (501.114(a)). Administrative segregation inmates must be single-celled (501.113). County jails must notify TCJS of policy changes on placing pregnant prisoners in solitary confinement or administrative segregation (511.0103). No general time limit exists in statute; 2023 and 2025 bills to limit administrative segregation did not pass.
- **Corrections use of force:** Since June 20, 2025, a “guard employed by a correctional facility” or peace officer is justified in using a less-lethal force weapon when and to the degree the person reasonably believes it necessary to carry out official duties, if the use substantially complies with training ([Penal Code 9.55](https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/PE/htm/PE.9.htm)). TDCJ may not place restraints around the ankles, legs, or waist of a woman whose pregnancy is confirmed unless needed to prevent harm or escape (Gov. Code 501.066). County jails: TCJS rules must bar restraints on a prisoner confirmed pregnant for the whole pregnancy and at least 12 weeks after birth, absent a supervisory finding of an immediate and credible escape risk or an immediate and serious threat, or a health care professional’s determination; staff must use the least restrictive restraints and remove them at a provider’s request (Gov. Code 511.0104), and jails report each use to TCJS annually by February 1 (511.0105). Local Gov. Code 361.082 separately covers labor, delivery, and recovery in county and municipal jails. TDCJ must refer an employee’s assault on an inmate to law enforcement (Gov. Code 501.002).

## Changes, 2023 to 2026

- Jan 1, 2026 — **Sheriffs who run jails must seek 287(g) immigration agreements** — SB 8 (89th Leg., R.S.), new Gov. Code chapter 753 · Effective January 1, 2026; sheriffs must comply by December 1, 2026 — “The sheriff of each county that operates a jail or contracts with a private vendor to operate a jail shall request and enter into an immigration law enforcement agreement,” such as a 287(g) agreement, authorizing the sheriff’s officers, employees, and contractors to enforce federal immigration law, and must ask again at least once a year if refused (753.051). Sheriffs must allocate staff and funding to carry it out (753.053). Comptroller grants of $80,000 to $140,000, by county size, can pay people performing duties under the agreement. TCJS must send its jail population reports to the comptroller (753.152), and the attorney general may sue sheriffs who do not comply. — **For corrections staff:** Jail staff may be designated and trained under a 287(g) jail enforcement agreement by December 1, 2026. — [SB 8 (89R) enrolled](https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/html/SB00008F.htm)
- Dec 4, 2025 — **TDCJ must house inmates by sex; private spaces in public facilities designated by sex** — SB 8 (89th Leg., 2nd C.S.), new Gov. Code chapter 3002 · Effective the 91st day after the session ended September 4, 2025: December 4, 2025 (computed) — State agencies and political subdivisions must designate multiple-occupancy private spaces for one sex, with exceptions for entry for custodial, maintenance, medical, law enforcement, and order-and-safety purposes (3002.051 to 3002.053). New 3002.054: “The Texas Department of Criminal Justice shall ensure inmates are housed in a correctional facility, including a dormitory or cellblock of a correctional facility, according to the inmate’s sex,” with Board rules to implement it. — **For corrections staff:** Staff who enter opposite-sex restrooms or showers for security or order fall within the custodial and law enforcement exceptions; housing assignments follow TDCJ’s rules. — [SB 8 (89-2) enrolled](https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/892/billtext/html/SB00008F.htm)[Session dates, Legislative Reference Library](https://lrl.texas.gov/sessions/sessionYears.cfm)
- Sep 1, 2025 — **Jovian Motley Act: yearly de-escalation and behavioral health training for TDCJ officers** — HB 2756 (89th Leg., R.S.), ch. 171, new Gov. Code 493.0325 · Effective September 1, 2025; training available by December 1, 2025 — TDCJ must train correctional officers and their direct supervisors in de-escalation and crisis intervention: communication; alternatives to physical restraints, including shields, chemical dispensing devices, and less-lethal weapons; limiting force that causes bodily injury; lighting; cell-extraction safety; lifesaving procedures; and how many staff to involve. It must also train them in behavioral health, substance use, and intellectual and developmental disability awareness, crisis recognition, suicide prevention, and employee assistance programs. “The training required by this section must be included in the department’s preservice training for correctional officers and completed annually by employees described by Subsection (a).” — **For corrections staff:** TDCJ officers and sergeants must complete this block every year; it covers cell extractions and limiting injury in use of force. — [HB 2756 enrolled](https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/html/HB02756F.htm)[Gov. Code 493.0325](https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/GV/htm/GV.493.htm)
- Sep 1, 2025 — **County jailer training on interacting with veterans** — SB 1563 (89th Leg., R.S.), ch. 840, new Occ. Code 1701.273 · Effective September 1, 2025; current jailers must finish by August 31, 2027 — TCOLE, with the Texas Veterans Commission, must develop a training program for county jailers on interacting with veterans. Amended 1701.310(a) adds the program to the required preparatory jailer course alongside the 8-hour mental health requirement. “A county jailer who, on the effective date of this Act, holds a county jailer license shall complete the training program … not later than August 31, 2027.” TCOLE added the module to course 1121. HB 33 of the same session also added a section 1701.273, on incident response training, so one will need renumbering. — **For corrections staff:** Every jailer licensed on September 1, 2025 must complete the veterans-interaction course by August 31, 2027. — [SB 1563 enrolled](https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/html/SB01563F.htm)[TCOLE curriculum page](https://www.tcole.texas.gov/content/course-curriculum-materials-and-updates-0)
- Sep 1, 2025 — **Higher penalties for correctional employees who smuggle drugs or alcohol** — HB 3464 (89th Leg., R.S.), amending Penal Code 38.11 · Effective September 1, 2025, for offenses on or after that date — The base offense of bringing prohibited substances into a correctional facility stays a third-degree felony. Under new 38.11(g-1), the offense “is a felony of the second degree if the actor is employed by the correctional facility” and the item is an alcoholic beverage, controlled substance, or dangerous drug. If the employee’s controlled substance or dangerous drug causes the death of a person in custody, it is a first-degree felony, punishable by 15 to 99 years or life and a fine of up to $250,000 (g-2). — **For corrections staff:** Staff drug or alcohol smuggling is a second-degree felony, and first-degree if an inmate dies from a smuggled controlled substance or dangerous drug. — [HB 3464 enrolled](https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/html/HB03464F.htm)
- Sep 1, 2025 — **Legislative leave pool for TDCJ correctional officers** — HB 1828 (89th Leg., R.S.), ch. 517, new Gov. Code 493.0075 · Effective September 1, 2025 — “The executive director shall allow a correctional officer employed by the department to voluntarily transfer to a legislative leave pool up to eight hours of compensatory time or annual leave per year.” Officers may draw from the pool for legislative leave on behalf of an employment-related association with at least 5,000 active or retired members and a board of directors, with the association president’s consent. Draws are capped at 80 hours per 160-hour work cycle and 480 hours per fiscal year. The Board of Criminal Justice adopts the rules. — **For corrections staff:** Officers active in large correctional employee associations can take pooled leave for legislative work, within the 480-hour yearly cap. — [HB 1828 enrolled](https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/html/HB01828F.htm)
- Sep 1, 2025 — **TDCJ sunset act: comp time no longer lapses, parole officer waivers, salary ladder by rule** — SB 2405 (89th Leg., R.S.), ch. 1022 · Effective September 1, 2025 — Continues TDCJ and the Board of Criminal Justice. Staff provisions: TDCJ compensatory time not taken within 24 months “shall be credited to the employee’s accumulated vacation leave” instead of lapsing, for time accrued before or after the effective date (Gov. Code 659.015(k)). The Parole Division may set a waiver procedure when it cannot hire parole officers who meet the qualifications (508.113(e)). The Board, not the executive director, sets the parole officer salary career ladder by rule, and the requirement to base salary on classification and years of service is struck (508.1131). TDCJ must report by December 1, 2026 on parole supervision approaches and proposed maximum caseloads (new 508.1143). Custodial officer retirement status now covers TDCJ employees with qualifying inmate contact across the department, not only in the correctional institutions division (811.001(8)). — **For corrections staff:** Unused TDCJ comp time older than 24 months now moves to vacation leave instead of being lost. — [SB 2405 enrolled](https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/html/SB02405F.htm)[Bill history](https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=89R&Bill=SB2405)
- Sep 1, 2025 — **Community supervision departments may share supervisee location data with police and prosecutors** — SB 1020 (89th Leg., R.S.), sec. 6, adding Gov. Code 76.019(c) · Effective September 1, 2025 — “A department may release data or information, including electronic monitoring data, reporting dates, contact information, family and collateral contacts, and addresses, related to the location of a person who is supervised by the department to law enforcement or the office of the attorney representing the state for the purpose of locating the person or serving a warrant.” The act also changed bond-office and electronic-monitoring tamper notice rules. — **For corrections staff:** Supervision officers may give monitoring and address data to police serving a warrant on an absconder. — [SB 1020 enrolled](https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/html/SB01020F.htm)
- Jun 20, 2025 — **Statutory justification for less-lethal force by correctional guards** — SB 2570 (89th Leg., R.S.), ch. 514, new Penal Code 9.55 · Signed and effective June 20, 2025 — “This section applies only to a guard employed by a correctional facility or a peace officer who is engaged in the discharge of the guard’s or officer’s official duties.” Such a person is justified in using a less-lethal force weapon, such as a projectile launcher, chemical dispensing device, striking device, or stun gun, when and to the degree the person reasonably believes it necessary to carry out official duties, if the use substantially complies with the person’s training. It applies to conduct on or after June 20, 2025. — **For corrections staff:** The defense depends on following your training; keep chemical-agent, impact-weapon, and stun gun qualification records current. — [SB 2570 enrolled](https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/html/SB02570F.htm)[Penal Code 9.55](https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/PE/htm/PE.9.htm)
- Jun 20, 2025 — **TDCJ reports on meetings with employee organizations go to standing committees** — SB 860 (89th Leg., R.S.), ch. 780 · Signed and effective June 20, 2025 — Abolishes the Criminal Justice Legislative Oversight Committee. The TDCJ director’s annual report on management meetings with employee organizations, signed by the organizations, now goes to each standing committee with jurisdiction over TDCJ (Gov. Code 493.027(b)). The report must still “include a statement from each party regarding the impact of the meetings on the recruitment and retention of department employees and on employee morale.” — **For corrections staff:** Officer associations’ signed statements on morale and retention now go directly to the corrections committees. — [SB 860 enrolled](https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/html/SB00860F.htm)
- Sep 1, 2023 — **Temporary county jailers: six-month extensions and a two-year cap** — HB 2183 (88th Leg., R.S.), ch. 134, amending Occ. Code 1701.310 · Effective September 1, 2023 — Existing law already required a temporary jailer to enroll in the preparatory program within 90 days and finish within a year, and barred renewal. The act adds: “A temporary appointment may not be renewed, except that the sheriff may petition the commission to extend the temporary appointment for a period not to exceed six months.” A person who left a temporary appointment may be appointed temporarily again only if in good standing. After two years of cumulative temporary service, a person must wait a year after leaving before another temporary appointment. A jailer whose license went inactive may be appointed temporarily. — **For corrections staff:** A sheriff can seek one six-month extension for a temporary jailer who has not finished the basic course, but temporary service is capped at two years. — [HB 2183 enrolled](https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/billtext/html/HB02183F.htm)[Occ. Code 1701.310](https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/OC/htm/OC.1701.htm)
- Sep 1, 2023 — **TDCJ procedures for transporting female inmates to medical care** — SB 1146 (88th Leg., R.S.), ch. 1162, new Gov. Code 501.0515 · Effective September 1, 2023 — TDCJ must set procedures for regularly scheduled transport of female inmates to nonemergency medical care, at UTMB Galveston or other facilities, that ensure “any searches conducted are performed in an area and manner that conforms with the requirements of the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003.” Buses must have bathrooms and enough toilet paper and feminine hygiene products, and transports must provide enough food and enough beds at overnight stops. The act also added 501.071, on telemedicine and on-site care. — **For corrections staff:** Transport officers moving female inmates must follow TDCJ’s PREA search and bus-equipment procedures. — [Gov. Code 501.0515](https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/GV/htm/GV.501.htm)[Bill history](https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=88R&Bill=SB1146)

## Enacted, not yet in force, pending, and bills that did not pass

- **287(g) compliance deadline (December 1, 2026):** every jail-operating sheriff must have complied with Gov. Code 753.051(a) (SB 8, 89R, sec. 2). [SB 8](https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/html/SB00008F.htm)
- **TDCJ parole caseload report and 10-year facilities plan (December 1, 2026):** both are due under SB 2405 (Gov. Code 508.1143 and 493.036). Statewide caseload pilots are barred until the report is filed, and 508.1143 expires September 1, 2027. [SB 2405](https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/html/SB02405F.htm)
- **Veterans-interaction course for current jailers (August 31, 2027):** all jailers licensed on September 1, 2025 must complete it (SB 1563). [SB 1563](https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/html/SB01563F.htm)
- **TCJS 2026 rule package:** amendments to 37 TAC 251.6, 253.1, 259.132, 265.4, 265.5, 265.7, and 273.2 and new 273.9 were proposed June 12, 2026 (51 TexReg 3862 to 3868). TCJS’s August 2026 “Adopted Rules” posting says they were adopted without changes but gives no effective date, so they are not dated here.

These bills were not enacted. 89th Legislature (2025): HB 4614 (state licensing of TDCJ correctional officers; passed the House, referred to Senate Criminal Justice on May 16, 2025); HB 1409 and SB 2381 (limits on administrative segregation); HB 3725 (solitary confinement); HB 4764 (annual administrative segregation report); HB 489, HB 1315, SB 169, and others (TDCJ facility temperatures); HB 2103 (mental health leave for jailers; passed the House). 88th Legislature (2023): HB 812 (administrative segregation limits), HB 1524 (body-worn cameras for correctional officers; passed the House), and HB 1355 and others (TDCJ air conditioning). [HB 4614 history](https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=89R&Bill=HB4614)

The 89th Legislature’s regular and called sessions have ended; the 90th Legislature convenes in January 2027.

## Checked and unchanged

- TCJS sunset date: Gov. Code 511.003 now reads September 1, 2035, as amended by SB 1659 (88R, 2023, sec. 3.07); the prior date was not compared.
- Not verified: TDCJ correctional officer hiring minimums and preservice academy length, which TDCJ’s careers pages did not display on October 20, 2026.
- Statute text was read from the Legislature’s own file server that the statutes site loads; links on this page use the statutes.capitol.texas.gov addresses.