Prison System: Dallas County Sheriff’s Office
Status: Active
Location: Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
Address: The Dallas County Jail has three active facilities:
Lew Sterrett Justice Center - includes three facilities and the court house
111 West Commerce Street
Dallas, TX 75202
North Tower Detention Facility
111 West Commerce Street
Dallas, TX 75202
West Tower Detention Facility
111 West Commerce Street
Dallas, TX 75202
Suzanne Lee Kays Detention Facility (South Tower)
111 West Commerce Street
Dallas, TX 75202
Mailing Address:
Facility Location
P.O. Box 660334
Dallas, TX 75266-0334
Phone Number: 214-761-9025; 214-761-9026 for bond information; inmates cannot receive phone calls
Fax Number: Inmates cannot receive faxes
Warden: Sheriff Lupe Valdez
Offender Gender: Both
Security Level: Security ranging from Class “C” misdemeanor offenses to capital murder; different facilities have different security classifications.
Distinguishing Feature: The Dallas County Jail is one of the few county jail systems that is ready to deal with problems of jail overpopulation; it has an empty jail facility that is labeled as permanently closed, at this time, but can easily be reopened to house more than 1,000 additional inmates. It has been used to house refugees during natural disasters.
Number of Inmates: The jail has a varying daily population, but the total capacity of 7,100 inmates.
Employees: The Dallas County Sheriff’s Office has over 900 employees throughout its four-facility jail system.
The Dallas County Jail is actually a system of jails, which are separated according to things like security level and inmate needs. It services all of Dallas County and has a rotating inmate population.
Dallas County Sheriff's Office Facebook Page
Dallas County Sheriff's Office Twitter Page
| Year Prison Last Renovated | 2000 |
|---|---|
| Average Daily Population | 170 |
| Total Confined | 166 |
| Total Confined Males Aged 18+ | 159 |
| Total Confined Females Aged 18+ | 7 |
| Full-Time Prison Employees | 22 |
| Part-Time Prison Employees | 2 |
| Total Salaries for Full/Part Time Employees | $563,788.00 |
| Number of Inmates on Work Assignment | 10 |
The population at the Dallas County Jail includes three types of offenders: individuals who did not post bail and are awaiting court (pre-trial detainees); individuals who had court and have been sentenced and are awaiting transfer to a state or federal facility (post-conviction detainees); and individuals who are currently incarcerated in another detention facility, but have been summoned to appear in a Dallas County court.
There are some concerns about living conditions in the Dallas County Jail. The jail does separate offenders into risk level, which some county jails do not have the resources to do, and which offers some protection for non-violent offenders who are detained in the jail system. However, how the jail makes these distinctions is troubling. For example, accused child molesters are sent to a psychiatric ward section of the jail, separating them from other offenders, and, theoretically, beginning their access to treatment. However, the same ward is also designated for homosexual inmates. While almost all jail systems provide some type of health care, the Dallas County Jail actually charges inmates for health services. While health services will be rendered even if an inmate cannot pay, fees will be deducted from an inmate’s trust fund, so long as the deduction would not cause the balance to fall below $6.00.
Prison programs include secular education, vocational/technical education, religious services, and self-help groups.
Much of the history of the Dallas County Jail is connected to the Old Jail building, which still stands at the corner of Main Street and Houston Street. It housed members of Clyde Barrow’s gang, was where Jack Ruby was held after shooting Lee Harvey Oswald, and was the site of Dallas County executions by hanging until the mid-1920s.
The Dallas County Jail has had a number of infamous inmates including various members of the Dallas Cowboys football team, several notorious criminal gang members, and even some serial killers. However, the most infamous of all of its inmates is probably Jack Ruby.
Inmate Mailing Address:
Inmate Bookin#
Inmate Location
P.O. Box 660334
Dallas, TX 75266-0334
Authorized correspondence includes letters, cards, and softback books from publishers.
Find an Inmate: The Dallas County Sheriff’s Office inmate locator tool allows you to search for an inmate by first or last name, bookin number, or date of birth.
Send Money to an Inmate: You may deposit money into an inmate trust account in a number of ways, including machines located in the lobbies of some of the jail facilities, online, by phone at 1-866-345-1884, and through third-party providers. In addition to sending money to inmates, you can also send care packages via the jail’s third-party service providers, Access Securepak. In addition, you can post bonds for an inmate via Western Union. You must have the following information to post a bond in that manner:
Pay to: Dallas County Sheriff Dept
Code City: DallasBonds
State: TX
Sender’s account # including booking # or warrant # and Last Name
Attention Field: Include First, Middle, and Last Name and Date of Birth
Visit an Inmate: The Dallas County Jail has some important restrictions on visitation that visitors need to know. Inmates may only have two visits per week, all visitors must be listed on the inmate’s visitor card, which can only be revised every 90 days, children can only visit on Saturday or Sunday, and there are 2 children per adult. The visitation schedule is: Monday-Friday 7:00PM-9:00PM; Saturday and Sunday 8:00AM-2PM. Mondays and Thursdays are reserved for inmates whose last name starts with A-L; and Tuesdays and Fridays are reserved for inmates whose last name starts with M-Z. In addition, the jail offers video visitation through Securus Technology.
Receive calls from an Inmate: Inmates can place collect phone calls and can set up advanced pay accounts with provider Securus Technology in order to place phone calls to numbers that cannot receive collect phone calls.
Year Built or Opened: 1913 Warden or Supervisor: Chief Deputy Jesse Herrera Total Capacity: 7,100 Security Level(s): minimum - maximum
111 West Commerce Street
Dallas, TX 75202
Phone Number(s):
214-761-9025
111 West Commerce Street
Dallas, TX 75202
Other Prisons in Texas:
H.H. Coffield Unit | United States Penitentiary Beaumont | El Paso Processing Center | Federal Prison Camp Bryan | Federal Detention Center Houston | T.L. Roach Unit | Christina Melton Crain Unit | Beauford H. Jester IV Unit | Allan B. Polunsky Unit | Prarieland Detention Center