For Your Information about TDCJ

Temporary Lockdown

Units or certain pods or floors will go on “lockdown” quite often. Anytime there is a violent fight , an escape attempt, or the guards want to punish the pod (e.g. the pod is a mess, someone graffitied the walls, someone started a fire), the unit goes on lockdown temporarily for a few hours or a day. The phones, tablets, and tv will be shut off, inmates are asked to return to their cells, and order needs to be restored. They may prohibit anyone coming into or out of the pod. Sometimes it is a subset of these things and tablets will still work, or visitation will still be allowed. If your loved one tells you they are on lockdown, ask if it is temporary or the annual lockdown. If it’s a lockdown temporary, just wait a few hours or a day and things will back to normal.

Annual Lockdown

Each prison has an annual lockdown once a year, and some have semi-annual lockdowns twice a year. At an unannounced time, the prison will go on lockdown. It varies by unit, but usually everything is cancelled at the beginning of lockdown. The wall phones are cutoff, or become off-limits. No movement of offenders within the prison is allowed. They must remain in their cells. If in a pod, they must remain on their bunk except to get water or use the bathroom. Inmates cannot go to their jobs. With no cooks, all 3 meals become “johnny sacks”, which is a brown bag lunch, often peanut butter and jelly.

During semi-annual lockdown, commissary is closed. Visitation is cancelled. AA meetings, church services, GED programs, etc all cancelled. Library and recreation time cancelled. Lockdowns last for 2 weeks (less for smaller units, longer for bigger units). Some privileges start to get restored as the lockdown progresses. For example, some wardens will turn tablets back on, or allow weekend visitation.

Again – different units do it differently.

During lockdown, every part of the prison is searched in detail. They will find alcohol, drugs, cell phones, shanks, money, lighters, handcuff keys, and more. Contraband can be any item that is not allowed, even a stuffed animal or a deck of cards. Everything in their possession should have been issued by the prison, issued by the medical staff, bought from commissary, received by mail such as letters or books, or legal papers. Anything else will be confiscated.

Be prepared to be out of contact with your LO when lockdown is occurring.

Lockdowns never go as smoothly as planned, and we hear complaints from the inside, such as :

• Lunch was a tortilla with peanut butter.
• We finally got dinner at midnight.
• They said we could shower every other day, and it’s been 4 days since my pod has showered.
• We had to sleep on the gym floor.

Signs that a unit is on annual lockdown

All pods are reporting they are on lockdown, not just one individual pod.

Meals that are usually hot, become johnny sacks.

eComm site becomes deposits only, whereas before you could order items.

You can call the unit and usually they will confirm.

Your LO reports that the tablet phones work, but not the wall phones.

If your loved ones have a tablet during lock down or can make phone calls, give them lots of love and support! Lockdown is very tough on everyone.