Chaplaincy

The Inmate Services and Chaplaincy Division is tasked with administering all programs to inmates including religious programming, law libraries, recreational libraries, educational programming and recreational programming. This includes the procurement of TV’s for housing units, recreational equipment for all jail facilities, etc.  We offer inmates many opportunities to improve themselves while in custody. HSE High-School Equivalency, recreational and gymnasium activities and Re-Entry training are a few of the programs offered.

Services are held by a wide variety of religious faiths within the jail.  Every attempt will be made to honor an inmate’s request that their regular minister visit with them in the jail. These visits will be “non-contact” visits. In a “non-contact” visit the inmate and the minister are separated by some form of a partition, or barrier, which prohibits actual physical contact. In the Tarrant County Jail, non-contact visits are in the visitation booth. Clergy may visit once daily, however these visits are limited to 30 minutes in duration. The minister must be on the “Approved Clergy List” maintained by the Chaplain’s Office.

Religious material can be brought to the Chaplain/Director of Inmate Services Office by families, friends, etc.. After review and clearance, they will be delivered to the inmate. Publications must not be hardcover, have any metal tabs, zippers, snaps or magnetic closures.  Families, friends, etc., may order a Bible and/or religious material from a publishing house or major retailer (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, LifeWay, etc.) and have it shipped directly to the inmate’s mailing address.  They may also subscribe and pay for religious subscriptions for the inmate. The publisher must mail the subscriptions to the inmate by name and CID number.

Notification of the death of an inmate’s immediate family (parent, spouse, sibling and child) should be made to the inmate by either a family member or family friend if at all possible.  This is always more comforting to the inmate.  If there are extenuating circumstances, notification can be made through the Inmate Services / Chaplaincy Office.  The information will be verified by this office and notification will be made by a chaplain.  Due to federal HIPAA regulations; notifications of injury, illness or hospitalization cannot not be made by members of this Office nor can messages can be forwarded to an inmate to call family members.

Individual religious counseling is available to any inmate by the inmates request through the Chaplain’s Office, or by personally contacting a volunteer Chaplain when they are in the inmate’s housing unit.

Anyone wishing to volunteer may contact the Chaplain’s Office at 817-884-3088. Orientation classes are held three times a year to bring in new volunteers after they have passed a background check. No one will be considered who is currently on probation or has not been fully released from all judgements by the court. Volunteer Chaplains ministering to inmates may, with permission, supply religious materials to inmates. Any materials they use must be cleared by the Chaplain/Director of Inmate Services. If your church group wants to minister to inmates, you will have to contact the Inmate Services and Chaplaincy Office with a proposed program or class, and go through the security clearance and Orientation procedures.