Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March, 2020, our team has worked diligently (nearly non-stop) to provide community support for the tens of thousands of people incarcerated in TX county jails. We received over 2,500 phone calls and over 1,000 emails requesting help, conducted over 1500 phone interviews and processed over 2,200 pieces of mail. Click to read more. 

Our team worked relentlessly, in traumatic conditions, through winter storm Uri ensuring that the voices of our community inside county jails were heard across the country. In one year, we disbursed over $165,000 in direct aid to people in jail and their loved ones. 

Since January 2021, we brought over a dozen testimonies to the legislature to expand protections for pregnant people, persons with disabilities and veterans held in county jails. We fought hard against expansion of pretrial detention and the assaults on our constitutional right to be presumed innocent.

In our fifteen year history, Texas Jail Project only ever had one full time employee (from 2018-20). Since June 2020, Texas Jail Project has grown to four full-time employees, one part-time employee, one contractor, and one intern. The scale and pace of our work was unprecedented, and at times overwhelming. In order to honor our team’s relentless efforts, and to care for ourselves, we will be prioritizing internal development, and rest, for the month of October. 

What does this mean for you? 

• You may not get a response from us until mid November 2021 
• A team member may infrequently monitor incoming messages for acute emergencies 
• Our team will be even better equipped to assist you when we get back! 

Who can I contact for resources in the meantime? 

• How to make a complaint about a county jail 
  • https://classic.texasjailproject.org/complaints/
  • If this is an emergency we recommend 1) sending a written complaint 2) cc to help@texasjailproject.org 3) immediately follow up with a phone call to TCJS (https://www.tcjs.state.tx.us/contact-information/)
• How to file a complaint with Texas Medical Board against physicians and physicians assistants if your loved one is experiencing medical neglect or abuse 
  • https://www.tmb.state.tx.us/page/place-a-complaint
• How to complete a Disability Rights Texas intake form if your loved one with a disability is experiencing abuse or neglect in a jail 
  • https://www.disabilityrightstx.org/en/getting-help/how-to-apply-for-services/
• Find your Local Mental Health Authority or Behavioural Health Authority 
  • https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/mental-health-substance-use/mental-health-substance-use-resources/find-your-local-mental-health-or-behavioral-health-authority
• Are you having issues with your court-appointed attorney?
  • Client-Attorney Assistance Program 
  • Texas Attorney Grievance Form 
• Request legal help in Harris county 
  • RestoringJustice.org/referrals 
  • For Participatory Defense resources contact Grassroots Leadership https://grassrootsleadership.org/contact
• If your loved one is pregnant in a county jail, we recommend reviewing this page on our website. 
  • Contact TCJS immediately if your pregnant loved one is experiencing crisis in jail, following the steps above 
  • If you have questions about guardianship of children born while a parent is incarcerated, please contact a family attorney. This guardianship authorization form has been used by some of our community members in the past. This does not constitute legal advice. 
• Contact your local elected officials
  • Your elected county commissioner 
  • Your county judge 
  • Your Texas Representative and Senator 
  • Your US Representative and Senator 
• Resources from Texas Fair Defense Project 
  • https://www.fairdefense.org/resources/get-help

“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” – Audre Lord 

Thank you for your understanding and support. We’ll talk to you soon. 

Texas Jail Project Team
Krish, Dalila, Gabriela, & Tamera