What is the best part of working at the company?Benefits. Serving the safety of the public. What is the most stressful part about working at the company?Ensuring safety of self and others. Extremely low pay for administrative roles. What is the work environment and culture like at the company?It is a difficult environment to work in with almost non existent ability to advance in clerical roles no matter length of service.

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2 stars

Corrections Officer (Former Employee) - Pampa, TX - February 2, 2023

What is the best part of working at the company?Job securityWhat is the most stressful part about working at the company?Surrounded by convicted criminals constantly What is the work environment and culture like at the company?Hostility from offenders and coworkers What is a typical day like for you at the company?Constantly stressful and dangerous.

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Texas Department of Criminal Justice insights

Based on 1,907 survey responses

Areas for improvement

Inclusive work environment
Trust in colleagues
Sense of belonging

Great experience

Correctional Officer IV (Former Employee) - Huntsville, TX - January 29, 2023

Great experience for future career in Criminal Justice. Poor poor management. Would not recommend working here if you’re weak minded, a women after the wrong things, or even a man after the wrong things. The prison system as a whole in TX has a lot of work to do. These raises they keep providing people is just to try to keep them. Look at the turnover rate.

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The multitude of career possibilities.

Human Resources Specialist (Current Employee) - Gatesville, TX - January 28, 2023

TDCJ has many types of positions available. Something for everyone. It's not just correctional.Jobs from clerical, administrative, correctional, parole, reentry...Clerical pay is not great, but when you factor in the free health insurance it definitely looks more appealing.

Pros

Free health insurance for the employee, a large amount of paid time off accruals, cheap life insurance, free meals while on duty, job security...many pros to a career at TDCJ

Cons

Short staff, mandatory overtime, stressful

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3 stars

Correctional Officer III (Former Employee) - Livingston, TX - January 24, 2023

What is the best part of working at the company?The amount of overtime you can work. If you need the money it’s there to make. What is the most stressful part about working at the company?Hardly ever seeing your family when overtime is mandatory because they’re short staffed. What is the work environment and culture like at the company?It honestly just depends on how you work and if you’re a good worker/employee and aren’t lazy. What is a typical day like for you at the company?You’re day can BE VERY BUSY, which helps time go back faster or it can be a slower day and time drags on, but for the most part you ALMOST ALWAYS have something to do all day long.

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5 stars

District Parole Officer II (Former Employee) - Dallas, TX - January 20, 2023

What is the best part of working at the company?Working with the clients What is the most stressful part about working at the company?Management was never satisfied with the job that we did. What is the work environment and culture like at the company?It was a family affair What is a typical day like for you at the company?Making sure that my guys would come and report and pay their fees

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Great benefits but low pay

Community Case Manager (Former Employee) - Texas - January 13, 2023

Good flexibility and benefits but low pay. They continue to add duties but fail to pay accordingly. We haven’t had a pay raise in years! Another pro is working independently.

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Horrible environment & job expectations

Janitor (Former Employee) - Gatesville, TX - January 13, 2023

You can literally work yourself to the grave for TDCJ. Required overtime WITHOUT notice, on call 24/7, poor management structure, chronic staff shortages.

Pros

Nothing

Cons

Everything

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Overall

Correctional Officer III & Sergeant (Former Employee) - Rosharon, TX - January 11, 2023

If you enjoy working nonstop with unlimited overtime, this is the job for you. There are crooked officers as well as rank. What you learn in training is not what you will see once you get to your unit. I’ve seen officers as well as ranks turn their backs on inmates fighting. Once you get off training, the pay is ok but you will be overworked. After becoming a sergeant and seeing things take place from a management standpoint, I resigned. From rank covering up fights, abuse, and deaths to inappropriate conduct and SA. I did and still do not want to be apart of this company.

Pros

Free lunch, unlimited overtime, housing

Cons

Very little breaks, overworked, very little ventilation, no AC

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Fast Paced And Good Stepping Stone

Correctional Officer (Current Employee) - Edinburg, TX - January 10, 2023

If you are looking forward into law enforcement, this is a great stepping stone coming straight out of highschool. You will learn and adapt too handle any type of environment.

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Jobs at Texas Department of Criminal Justice

Correctional Officer II

4 stars

Case Manager III (Current Employee) - Huntsville, TX - January 9, 2023

What is the best part of working at the company?The benefits and most of my co-workers are the best part of TDCJ.What is the most stressful part about working at the company?The inmates are always trying to run game on you. They are immature divas for the most part.What is the work environment and culture like at the company?About what you'd expect working in a prison, it is not a "cushy" kind of place.What is a typical day like for you at the company?Busy and you always have to be aware of your surroundings

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You have job security

Security/correctional w (Current Employee) - Bryan, TX - January 7, 2023

I’ve been with tdcj going on 20 years, back then we was like family, now we’re treated as we’re the inmates. They don’t value or appreciate their workers. As correctional officers we don’t have a voice when we have issue with our ranking officers,no one to have our back when we dealing with a younger unprofessional supervisor. Years ago it was great you loved coming to work, now sending us other units out of town not carrying if we have kids or not. Everything is a constant write up or contact log.

Pros

4 days off4 days on

Cons

Having to over two hours to help other units, when there are closer unit to the unit that’s short staffed, mandatory work to a unit 8hours away and not even in our region

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This job isn't for everyone

Corrections Officer (Former Employee) - Huntsville, TX - January 6, 2023

I worked for TDCJ as an officer for almost 20 years. The good is the job security. I also appreciated that my boss had a boss who had a boss. They are held accountable most of the time. 90% of the time if you come to work on time and don't call in you will be treated fairly. The bad is that you normally will not be given a break. The temperature extremes and the working conditions take a physical toll on the body.

Pros

Job stability

Cons

No breaks

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Overall tough place to work. Very stressfull.

INVENTORY AND STORE SPECIALIST II-ASSISTANT COMMISSARY MANAGER (Former Employee) - Childress, TX - January 3, 2023

Some good people and management to work with. Just depends on what you get. Some people are enjoyable to work with. Pay is low for the work performed.

Pros

Fairly good benifits

Cons

Hard to work with some upper management and poor pay

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Stressful

Correctional Officer IV (Former Employee) - Hondo, TX - December 30, 2022

It's a stressful environment.Authoritarian, coercive and threatening general management style. Leaders with little interest in their employees. Obsessive application of company policies. favoritism, Lack of growth opportunities, lack of recognition. Little or no investment in training. Undefined roles, Work-life imbalances. Poor communication and lack of interest in carrying it out. Complaints, criticism and grid abound.

Pros

Good retirement plan

Cons

Health insurance will start after 3 months of being hire.

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1 star

Parole Officer (Former Employee) - Houston, TX - December 29, 2022

What is the best part of working at the company?My coworkers were great people What is the most stressful part about working at the company?Management. They are demanding and add unnecessary stress and do very little to support you. Their only concern is meeting quotas on reports What is the work environment and culture like at the company?Stressful, demanding, mentally draining, suffocating What is a typical day like for you at the company?Management giving you task after task and demanding that they’re all done with the same urgency

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I Love What I do

Correctional Officer (Current Employee) - Rathernotsayville - December 24, 2022

I really appreciate my job with TDCJ. I also work in a max. I retired from the Army, and I immediately started working for the agency. I love the small circle of coworkers I work with. I also really like the overtime.

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Close knit work family. Great place to work.

Transitional Case Manager II (Current Employee) - Winnsboro, TX - December 23, 2022

I love my job. It is very rewarding. Helping people gives me a sense of accomplishment and worthiness. It is a very fast paced, confidential and time sensitive position.

Pros

Commitment driven and rewarding

Cons

Slow to receive raises

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Expect the overtime!

Correctional Officer (Former Employee) - Rosharon, TX - December 21, 2022

It's really not bad working as a Correctional Officer considering you will be in a negative environment. But once they start hitting you with the mandatory overtime everyday that's when I get upset! 16 hours for 6 days straight are these people crazy? They have no problem holding you hostage in a prison!

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Horrible place to work.

Correctional Officer (Former Employee) - New Boston, TX - December 20, 2022

TDCJ officers treat you like **** on the bottom of their shoes. They actually treat the inmates better. If they don’t like you for whatever reason, you’re going to get the hardest, most miserable job they can assign you. If they like you, you’re on easy street. They harass you if you call in sick or ask for time off. They talk down to you or belittle you in front of coworkers and inmates. It’s a very demeaning atmosphere.

Pros

The pay

Cons

Having to deal with rank & their stupidity.

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Someone is always trying to get you fired over lies

Administrative Assistant (Former Employee) - Tennessee Colony, TX - December 19, 2022

Great benefits but there's always someone out to get you fired. Pay is terrible for any clerical work and that position hasn't had a raise in over 10 years. If your a woman be prepared for rumors to always be started about your having a relationship with inmates.