Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) board members tied IT modernization to broadband expansion at a recent convening, during which CIO Tina Clark updated them on several projects.
During the Oct. 17 meeting of the boards of TDCJ and Windham School District, Clark outlined seven projects in various stages. Broadband infrastructure is a core part of modernization, supporting technology from digital surveillance to staff education and human resources.
The $29.3 million broadband connectivity and expansion project, slated for Fiscal Year 2026-27, will extend fiber across correctional facilities. The project includes broadband backbone, connectivity for individual buildings and, finally, dropping cable to support video, data and device access. Inmates were provided with tablets and Internet access in 2021, while digital video surveillance and other services require more bandwidth.
“There are about 23 units with video surveillance … comprehensive systems, the body-worn cameras and other technology. We already have that fiber backbone in place,” Clark said. “And for the last few years, we have really focused on getting the fiber to the front gate [to] increase that capacity.”
The largest IT effort is Corrections Information Technology System (CITS) 2.0, a four-year, $53.6 million initiative to replace the department’s 40-year-old legacy offender management system built on COBOL. The request for offers for a new system was published Oct. 1 with bids due Nov. 13. Multiple contracts will cover project management, organizational change management services, and verification and validation services, Clark said.
TDCJ is also advancing its migration to the Centralized Accounting and Payroll/Personnel System, the statewide enterprise resource planning platform managed by the Texas Comptroller. The agency received $19.5 million for its transition, which is about 20 percent complete. The human resources component is expected to go live in July 2026, and Clark noted the agency is one of the last to make the switch to the central system.
Other active initiatives include an $8.1 million inmate banking system replacement to streamline the trust fund banking system and commissary transactions. The system handles the parole fee and restitution process, the commissary’s point-of-sale system and commissary inventory and will eliminate paper checks issued at inmate release and add online payment processing.
Additional efforts in early procurement include the Office of Inspector General crime management system, a learning management system for staff training, and the continuing video surveillance modernization project which will replace 71 analog systems with more than 4,700 digital cameras.
The department is also developing a business case for a technology-enhanced inmate count system, which has demonstrated efficiency gains in pilot testing, she said. The proof-of-concept included ID scanners to track inmates entering and leaving non-housing areas such as medical and educational areas. The data then is accessed by officers with tablets.
The board expects to hear an update on the business case at its December meeting.
TDCJ Outlines Broadband, Software and Other Modernizations
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice recently briefed its board on a portfolio of major IT projects, most of which are funded by the state’s capital budget and in early procurement stages.
