Locate Dolph Briscoe Unit Inmates

Dolph Briscoe Unit Overview

Dolph Briscoe Unit is operated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division. TDCJ identifies it as a prison in Dilley, one quarter mile west of IH-35 on Highway 85 in Frio County. The official unit profile lists Cedric Washington as senior warden, states that the unit came online in January 1992, and notes ACA accreditation since January 2003. It is a male state prison with custody levels G1, G2, and G4.

The unit should not be searched through Frio County Jail or VINELink as if it were a county booking roster. Frio County Jail receives local arrestees, while Briscoe houses adult male prisoners already in the TDCJ system. A person may begin in local custody after a Frio arrest, but after conviction and transfer to TDCJ, the state locator becomes the proper search tool.

The official TDCJ Briscoe Unit profile is the source for capacity, custody levels, programs, medical services, and the unit address.

That profile is the better source for facility details, while the TDCJ inmate search is the source for a named prisoner's location.

Dolph Briscoe Unit Capacity

TDCJ lists Dolph Briscoe Unit with a capacity of 1,216. The research did not locate a current official unit population count or demographic table for Briscoe, so the capacity should not be treated as a same-day head count. The unit profile does identify inmate gender as male and custody levels as G1, G2, and G4. It also lists ambulatory medical and dental services on a single level, CPAP-accommodating housing, telemedicine, Digital Medical Services, and UTMB management.

For county population work, Frio County Jail and TCJS reports are separate from this prison capacity. Briscoe is physically in Frio County, but it is part of the Texas prison system. Sentenced prisoners at Briscoe are counted and managed under TDCJ rules, not under the Frio sheriff's local jail roster path.

Search Dolph Briscoe Unit Inmates

The correct online lookup for Dolph Briscoe Unit is the TDCJ Inmate Information Search. TDCJ says the search information is believed accurate but not warranted, is updated on working days only, and is at least 24 hours old. That timing matters. A recent transfer, temporary movement, or data lag may not appear instantly.

1. Open the TDCJ Inmate Information Search, not the Frio sheriff page.
2. Search by last name and first name, or use the TDCJ number or SID number if known.
3. Use gender or race filters only when needed to narrow a common name.
4. Review the result for the current unit assignment and prisoner identity details.
5. Call the unit or TDCJ if a visit, call setup, or urgent status check depends on the search result.

Dolph Briscoe Unit Contact

The TDCJ unit profile is the official contact source for the prison. The location note places the unit one quarter mile west of IH-35 on Highway 85 in Frio County. Visitors should treat the Dilley state prison as a separate destination from the Pearsall county jail and the Dilley immigration processing facility, even though all three are within the county's detention map.

Dolph Briscoe Unit Visits

TDCJ visitation rules apply at Briscoe. The TDCJ visitation page tells visitors to confirm the inmate is assigned to the unit, verify the person has visitation privileges, check the current unit schedule, and confirm the visitor is on the approved visitor list. Visitors need photo identification, and TDCJ warns that vehicles and visitors are subject to search. Each inmate is allowed one visit per weekend.

Note: TDCJ visitation can change by unit status, so confirm Briscoe assignment and visit approval before leaving for Dilley.

Dolph Briscoe Unit Phone

TDCJ phone and technology rules are separate from Frio County Jail. The TDCJ Inmate Technology Services page covers the Inmate Telephone System, e-messaging, tablets, Securus Video Visitation, and related call rules. Effective February 2, 2026, the Inmate Technology office calling hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., except state holidays, and the research lists offenderphones@tdcj.texas.gov for phone-service contact.

To receive calls, TDCJ requires telephone-number registration. The research notes internet enrollment through Texas Inmate Telephone Friends and Family Enrollment, phone registration at 866-806-7804, and TDCJ ID lookup help at 936-295-6371 or 800-535-0283 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. TDCJ phone types include collect calls, friends and family prepaid calls, and inmate telephone prepaid debit or Securus debit. Phones are generally available from 5:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. unless conditions change, calls are limited to 30 minutes, and attorney calls are excepted from monitoring or recording.

Dolph Briscoe Unit Intake

Briscoe intake is not street-arrest booking. A person at Briscoe is in the state prison system after sentencing and transfer. TDCJ intake and classification determine unit assignment, custody level, medical needs, work or program eligibility, and housing. If a Frio County arrestee is convicted and sentenced to TDCJ, the lookup path changes from local custody status to the TDCJ locator after transport. The Frio County jail inmate records page is useful for local booking status, but it is not the control point for Briscoe prisoners.

TDCJ

Texas Department of Criminal Justice, the state agency that runs Briscoe.

Custody level

A prison classification that helps set housing and security rules.

SID number

A state identification number that can help locate a prisoner.

Dolph Briscoe Unit Programs

TDCJ lists literacy, Adult Basic Education, GED, special education, CHANGES pre-release, ESL, cognitive intervention, construction carpentry, electrical trades, and landscape design, construction, and maintenance among Briscoe programs. The research also lists Southwest Texas Junior College academic and vocational construction-carpentry programs, a faith-based dormitory, adult education upon availability, peer education, chaplaincy services, and the GO KIDS Initiative.

Community work projects serve city agencies, the area food bank, local organizations, and Habitat for Humanity. Those programs belong to the prison profile and should not be copied onto the Frio County Jail page. Briscoe is a larger state prison in Frio County, and its rules, programs, locator, mail, phone, and visit systems are TDCJ systems.