August 2, 2016

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Brothers and Wardens.
East Texas Pair Follow Each Other's Footsteps at TDCJ

A competitive spirit at whatever task they accept is what drives the Jones brothers of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. James Jones, the older and quieter of the two, is the senior warden at the Huntsville Unit and Mark Jones is the senior warden of the Darrington Unit. Neither has ever backed down from whatever challenge they have faced.

Their father, David Jones, worked for TDCJ for more than 20 years. He began at the Ferguson Unit as a Correctional Officer and retired from the Facilities Division at the Ellis Unit. His career path influenced theirs.

Mark said, "Dad used to take us down to the Ferguson Unit to get our haircuts. I never thought I'd be working here."

Mark joined TDCJ immediately out of Madisonville High School but James was delayed because he was enrolled at Navarro Junior College in Corsicana where he was on a football scholarship. They were actually meant to be in the same academy class.

Their career paths have been similar. Both were promoted to sergeant with assignments at the Ellis, Boyd and Huntsville Units at different times. Mark was promoted to lieutenant at the Eastham Unit and then became captain at the Boyd Unit in 1994. In 1997 he became a major at the Huntsville Unit and in 1999 an assistant warden at the Ellis Unit followed by assignments as the senior warden at the Havins State Jail, Hamilton Unit and Darrington Unit.

James was a lieutenant at the Boyd Unit in 1991 and in 1993 became a captain at the Holliday Transfer Facility. In 1997 he was a major at the Polunsky Unit. In 2000 he moved to the CID Region I office as an assistant regional director with a promotion the next year to assistant warden at the Lewis Unit. He was also an assistant warden at the Polunsky and Huntsville Units followed by a promotion to senior warden at the Goodman Transfer Facility and now at the Huntsville Unit.

James says he's happy where he is now as a senior warden. "But you never know. It might get to the point where both of us say, 'Hey, let's try this, too."

Although they are not twins, they often repeat each other's sentences. They were both born on the eleventh day of the month, are soft-spoken, have wives who also work for TDCJ and each has two daughters.

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