The Texas Department of Criminal Justice or TDCJ has a unique program related to shoes. This one is known as the “shoe program”. It has been effective since July 20, 2022. If you want to know more about it, make sure to read the post until the end.
The TDCJ shoe program is the name of the program that is intended for no other than inmates who are currently at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice or TDCJ. This program makes it possible for inmates to purchase shoes from outside. However, it is not as easy as you may think.
Before the inmates are granted the permission to purchase shoes from the outside, they will have to try to purchase shoes at Unit Commissary. If the shoes that they are looking for are not available at the Unit Commissary, the staff will reach out to the Commissary warehouse to check if they are available. If the shoes are indeed not available, the inmates can request an outside vendor purchase authorization by submitting an I-60 to the Unit Property Officer. Upon getting the request from the inmates, the Unit Property Office will then verify with Commissary staff a purchase was attempted and submit for Warden’s approval of an outside purchase. After that, the Unit Property Officer will decide whether the request is approved or rejected. If their request is accepted by the Unit Property Officer, the inmates can request their family members and or friends that are included in the visitation list to purchase shoes from outside.
Talking about purchasing shoes from outside, there are some rules to follow, as follows:
- Shoes can be purchased from any vendor.
- Shoes can be any brand.
- Shoes have to be the low top style.
- Shoes cannot cost more than $100, even if they are purchased on sale.
- The dominant color of the shoes has to be white.
The list of the inmates that are approved for an outside purchase will be kept by the Unite Property Officer. After arriving at the facilities, the shoes will be received by the Unit Mailroom. If the shoes are not included in the list, they will deny them. Not only that, the shoes will also be inspected by the Unit Property Officer. Once everything is fine, the shoes will have the name of the inmate and the TDCJ # written on their tongue. After that, the inmates will get a lay-in to pick up the shoes that they purchased. As for the inmates in the Restrictive Housing, the shoes that they purchased will be delivered to them.
It is worth noting that the shoe purchase does not go against the commissary spending of the inmate. It may be needed for family members or friends to include a receipt as proof of purchase. In case the shoes have to be returned, the family members or friends are the ones that have to pay for the fee. The second thing to be noted is that it is possible for an inmate to only have one pair of purchased outside shoes in their possession. It means they will have to let go of a pair when a new pair arrives. If their shoes are damaged and are within a year of purchase, it is possible for them to get a new pair of shoes if they are allowed by the Warden. In this case, once again, the Unit Property Office will confirm whether the shoes are still not available in the Commissary.
A bookworm and researcher especially related to law and citizenship education. I spend time every day in front of the internet and the campus library.
