Executive Administrative Services
Under the
Texas Public Information Act (the Act), each person is entitled to complete information about the affairs of government and the official acts of public officials and employees, unless otherwise expressly provided by law. You can request information by letter, facsimile, or e-mail. Letter requests can be sent directly to the department that you believe has control of the information you seek, while facsimile and E-mail requests must be sent as shown on the
Where to Send Your Request page. For more information about the Texas Public Information Act or open records requests, you may wish to refer to the Attorney General’s
Public Information Handbook.
Where to Send Your Request
Requests must be in writing. If sending your request by letter or hand delivery and you know where the information is located, it is best to deliver your request to that location. For example: If you seek information about a TDCJ employee who works at the Huntsville Unit, you should send your request to that unit.
Click here for a list of unit addresses.
If you are unsure of where the information might be located, you should write to:
TDCJ – Executive Services
P.O. Box 99
Huntsville, TX 77342-0099
Facsimile and E-mail requests must be sent as follows:
E-mail: exec.services@tdcj.state.tx.us
Facsimile: 936.437.2125
Requests for records under the Public Information Act must be in writing. Including the following information in your request will help ensure that you receive the information you want:
- Your name and mailing address (so we can send you a response); Your phone number (so we can contact you if we have questions about how to respond to your request); and
- A list or description of the specific information you are interested in, including time periods. Try to be as specific as possible about the information you are seeking.
Some of the information maintained by The Texas Department of Criminal Justice may contain information that is confidential and cannot be released. Some examples of non public information are:
- employee social security numbers; employee tax information, e.g. W-4 and W-2; attorney-client communications; attorney work product; documents made confidential by statute;
- certain information about inmates of TDCJ
In addition, some individuals are not eligible to use the PIA to obtain information. Examples of these are inmates and people acting as agents for an inmate. Attorneys representing an inmate client can use the Act to obtain information
If you want to review or obtain copies of the non-public information listed above, it will be necessary for TDCJ to request an Attorney General’s opinion about this information. This non-public information will not be available for review until after the Attorney General makes a decision about whether the information is public or not public. The Attorney General’s office has about 12 weeks to make a decision on whether the information is public or not public.
If part of the information you requested is considered public information, then you will be able to review or obtain copies of the public information, even if a request for an Attorney General’s open records opinion is necessary regarding the non-public information.
If you are not seeking access to non-public or exempt information, you may simply state in your request that you want only information considered public by the Office of the Attorney General. If you indicate that you are only seeking information that the Office of the Attorney General considers public information, then it will not be necessary for TDCJ to make a request for an opinion.
Charges for copies of public information are set by the
Office of the Attorney General . In general, if the number of copies in your request is less than 50 pages, the charge will be $0.10 per page plus the cost of postage (or other delivery method, at your request). If the number of copies is more than 50 pages, the charge will be $0.10 per page plus personnel and overhead costs necessary to compile the documents, in addition to the postage. Normally you will be required to make payment before the documents are provided.
If the charge for fulfilling your requests exceeds $40.00, we will provide you with an itemized written estimate of the charges and indicate if a less costly alternative is available. You must respond in writing within 10 days after the estimate is sent that you will accept the costs, or that you desire any stated alternative, or your request will be considered withdrawn.