Administrative Review & Risk Management Division
Access to Courts
To ensure that inmates assigned to the correctional institutions operated, managed, or monitored by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) are provided their constitutional right of access to the courts, counsel and public officials, and that access is "adequate, effective, and meaningful" as required by state and federal law.
What is “access to courts”?
Although an inmate’s right of access to courts is not clearly enumerated in the United States Constitution, over the years a series of court decisions, federal and state statutes have shaped and codified these rights. With the evolution of these rights came the mechanism to uphold and protect them from violation or denial. Consequently, the right of access to courts, such as submitting a petition or complaint to a court, is considered to be a fundamental right upon which all other constitutional and inherent rights are contingent.
Fundamentals of access to courts:
Every inmate has the right of access to state or federal courts, legal counsel, public officials, and governmental agencies. Inmates may present any issue, including challenges to the legality of their confinement, redress for improper conditions of confinement, remedies for civil law problems, claims against correctional officials and other governmental authorities, and any other right protected by constitutional or statutory provisions, or by common law. Officers, employees, or agents of TDCJ shall not interfere with, harass, punish, or otherwise penalize any inmate as a result of participation in litigation, either as a party or a witness, or for filing or threatening to file a lawsuit, grievance, appeal, or other complaint about prison conditions, official misconduct, or for discussing the same with others, or writing in accordance with agency rules and regulations to others about actual or potential legal action or other forms of grievance and complaint.
Law Library Management
The Access to Courts Department is a statewide program that provides services to, and for, all TDCJ inmates. All inmates are afforded some type of access to a meaningful law library that, at a minimum, contains self-help publications, pertinent case law, codes, rules, and fill-in-the-blank legal forms. Depending on the classification of the inmate, he or she will either be given direct or indirect access to the law library. Inmates with direct law library access are afforded an opportunity to receive 10 hours of access per week. Inmates with indirect law library access are delivered three items of legal research materials per day, on three alternating days per week to their housing location.
Attorney/Consular Official Access
Attorneys and their representatives have access to visit inmates, Monday through Friday, between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. In addition, attorneys may also request telephone calls with their attorney clients. Attorneys may also register with the Offender Telephone System (OTS). Attorney-client calls conducted through the OTS will not be monitored or recorded. Consular officials are afforded the same rights and privileges as attorneys.
Additional Areas of Oversight:
- Resolution of Step 2 Inmate Grievances as signature authority, for any grievance that involves access to courts issues
- Management of correspondence supplies and postage provided to qualified inmates
- Public Information Act Manual, Chapter 3 – inmate requests for information
- Notary service
- Court Transcript Administration
- Assist inmates with disabilities, such as those who are illiterate, monolingual, or other similar circumstances, in obtaining access to courts
- Court video and telephone conferences
- Inmate subsequent storage qualification and issuance
- Administration of Intra Law Library Loan Program
- Assist inmates in gaining access to Parole Revocation Hearing audio tapes
- Court certification of impoverishment
Fiscal Year 2023 Statistics
- 160,104 Inmate visits to law library sessions
- 99,034 Items of legal research material were delivered
- 11,939 Notary signatures were provided
- 44 Inmate with inmate legal visits were conducted
- 10,118 Attorney with inmate phone calls were conducted
- 1,836 Court teleconferences were conducted
- 906 Court video conferences were conducted
- 3,481 Attorney visits were conducted
- 1,409 Attorney representative visits were conducted
- 100 Depositions were conducted
- 21,488 Court forms were issued
- 1,539 Court certificates of impoverishment
- 2,093 Public Information Act requests, Subpoenas, Special Prosecution Unit requests, and Inter-Agency requests processed
- 624 Approved Applications to Visit TDCJ Inmate as Attorney's Representative
- 134 Approved officiants authorized to perform inmate marriages
- 338 Step 2 inmate grievances (700 code) processed
For more information:
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Access to Courts, Counsel, and Public Officials Department
Hilaria Leon, Manager
PO Box 99
Huntsville, TX 77342-0099
Phone: (936) 437-3465
Fax: (936) 437-3478