Texas runs one of the largest prison systems in the country and has one of the most extensively documented solitary confinement problems. In 2017, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) officially "ended the practice of solitary confinement as punishment" -- but it was largely a name change. Only 76 people were released from punitive solitary following the policy change. Thousands remained in administrative segregation in the same conditions under a new label.
Texas has no statute limiting the use or duration of solitary confinement. The two most distinctive features of Texas's system are: (1) indefinite Security Detention for people classified as gang members (Security Threat Group/STG), often for decades; and (2) Texas death row at the Polunsky Unit in Livingston, where people awaiting execution have been held in at least 22 hours per day of solitary confinement for decades. In July 2025, TDCJ implemented a pilot program allowing some death row prisoners less restrictive conditions for the first time in years.
What Solitary Confinement Is Called in Texas
TDCJ uses "administrative segregation" as its primary long-term solitary confinement classification and "restrictive housing" broadly. The main categories:
Administrative Segregation (Ad Seg): TDCJ's highest security classification. Non-punitive, indefinite placement for people deemed a security risk. Thousands of people are held in Ad Seg in Texas, many for years or decades.
Security Detention: Placement for people classified as Security Threat Group (STG) members -- people identified as belonging to prison gangs. People in Security Detention are held in solitary conditions with no contact with other people. As of April 2021, 1,723 people were in Security Detention based on STG classification.
Protective Custody: Separation for the person's own safety.
Pre-Hearing Isolation: Temporary isolation during pending disciplinary investigation.
State Jail Special Management: Solitary-like placement in Texas's state jail (shorter-sentence) facilities.
Death Row (Polunsky Unit): TDCJ classifies death row segregation as "restrictive housing." People awaiting execution at the Polunsky Unit in Livingston have been held in at least 22 hours per day of cell confinement for decades.
The 2017 Name Change and What Remained
In 2017, TDCJ officially ended "solitary confinement as punishment." In practice: only 76 people were released from punitive solitary following the policy change. TDCJ maintained administrative segregation as its highest security classification. The Texas Civil Rights Project and University of Texas Civil Rights Clinic (TCRP) documented that thousands remained in the same isolation conditions under different terminology.
Eleven Texas facilities use restrictive housing at rates higher than the national average for U.S. prisons (6.7%), according to UCLA's Behind Bars Data Project.
Security Precaution Designators and STG Classification
TDCJ assigns Security Precaution Designators (SPDs) -- codes attached to a person's prison record for:
- ES: History of escape attempts.
- HS: History of taking hostages.
- SA: History of seriously assaulting staff.
These codes require placement in high-security wings, with administrative segregation as the most restrictive. TDCJ's own rules state that after 10 years, "an offender is no longer considered an immediate security risk" and the code can be removed -- unless "extraordinary circumstances exist." But as of 2024 TCRP reporting, nearly a third of people with ES, HS, or SA codes had held those codes for more than 10 years without proper review for removal.
For STG (gang) classification: people confirmed as gang members are placed in Security Detention and held in solitary conditions indefinitely. TDCJ has a mandatory program through which people can renounce their gang affiliation -- but access to this program has not been consistently available, leading to cases documented by TCRP where people spent 14 years in solitary confinement because the program was inaccessible to them.
A 2021 federal lawsuit (originated with Curtis Allen Gambill and others) challenged the SPD/STG classification system and the indefinite solitary confinement it produces.
Death Row at the Polunsky Unit
Texas death row is located at the Polunsky Unit in Livingston. For decades, people awaiting execution in Texas have been held in segregated conditions of at least 22 hours per day in their cells. TDCJ classifies this as "restrictive housing."
An active federal case has challenged Polunsky Unit conditions, alleging Eighth Amendment violations including mold, insect infestations, and the indefinite use of solitary confinement. TDCJ argued the "alleged conditions are not sufficiently extreme" to constitute constitutional violations. The case was still pending as of available 2025 reporting despite TDCJ's independent changes to some conditions.
July 2025 Death Row Pilot Program
In July 2025, TDCJ implemented a pilot program at the Polunsky Unit allowing some death row prisoners less restrictive conditions for the first time in years. Reporting described the change as: no shackles, no cuffs for certain programming or movement. This was described by the Death Penalty Information Center as the loosening of death row solitary confinement for the first time in decades. The pilot program is a TDCJ administrative decision, not court-ordered or statutory.
Texas HB 3725 (2025)
HB 3725, introduced in the 89th Texas Legislature session by Rep. Meza, would:
- Abolish indefinite solitary confinement (Restrictive Housing/RH) for people classified as STG members, effective September 5, 2026.
- Create a behavioral-based process for placement decisions rather than classification alone.
- Reform due process for STG-related classification and parole review.
Status of HB 3725 should be verified at publish.
Mental Health in Texas Restrictive Housing
TDCJ's Correctional Managed Health Care (CMHC) policy (effective November 5, 2025) requires that people in restrictive housing status receive a Qualified Mental Health Professional (QMHP) review at least every three months for the duration of restrictive housing placement. This is an administrative policy requirement.
Texas has no statute prohibiting placement of seriously mentally ill prisoners in administrative segregation.
What Families Can Do
If your person is in administrative segregation, Security Detention, or on death row in Texas:
Find where your person is housed. TDCJ provides an offender search at tdcj.texas.gov. This confirms current facility, unit, and housing status.
Contact the unit. Contact the unit warden or classification department to confirm your person's current housing category (Ad Seg, Security Detention, Protective Custody, or death row), the stated reason (SPD code, STG classification, or other), and review schedule.
Know the 10-year SPD review rule. If your person has an ES, HS, or SA code and it has been on their record for more than 10 years, TDCJ's own rules provide for review and potential removal. Ask whether the code has been reviewed for removal and document the result. If review has not occurred, file a grievance.
Know the STG renunciation program. If your person is in Security Detention based on STG classification, ask whether they have access to TDCJ's STG renunciation program. If access has been denied or the program has not been offered, document this and contact the Texas Civil Rights Project.
Know the quarterly QMHP review. Under CMHC policy (effective November 2025), people in restrictive housing status must receive a QMHP mental health review at least every 90 days. If your person has not received this review, document and file a grievance.
Know the death row pilot. If your person is on Texas death row at the Polunsky Unit, ask whether they are included in the July 2025 pilot program providing less restrictive conditions. Verify what the pilot includes and which death row prisoners qualify.
File a grievance. TDCJ has an administrative grievance process (Step 1 and Step 2). Help your person file formal grievances for SPD review failures, STG renunciation program access denial, QMHP review failures, or conditions violations.
Contact the Texas Civil Rights Project. TCRP (texascivilrightsproject.org) has been the lead organization challenging TDCJ's use of solitary confinement, particularly for STG prisoners, and has actively litigated the SPD classification cases.
Contact the ACLU of Texas. The ACLU of Texas (aclutx.org) monitors TDCJ conditions and may be able to provide referrals.
Seek legal help. If your person has a SPD code that has not been reviewed after 10 years, if they are in Security Detention because STG renunciation was denied or unavailable, or if they are on death row with conditions challenged in the active federal case, consult a prisoner rights attorney familiar with Texas federal courts.
Frequently asked questions
What is solitary confinement called in Texas prisons?
TDCJ uses "administrative segregation" (Ad Seg) for the highest security long-term classification, and "Security Detention" for STG/gang-classified prisoners. "Restrictive housing" is the umbrella term used for both. In 2017, TDCJ officially renamed "solitary confinement as punishment" -- but only 76 people were released following the change and thousands remained in the same conditions. TDCJ also classifies death row segregation at the Polunsky Unit as restrictive housing.
What are Security Precaution Designators in Texas prisons?
Security Precaution Designators (SPDs) are codes TDCJ attaches to a person's record for: ES (escape history), HS (hostage-taking history), and SA (serious staff assault history). These codes require placement in high-security wings, with administrative segregation as the most restrictive option. TDCJ's own rules provide that after 10 years without a security incident, the code should be reviewed for removal -- but as of 2024 reporting, nearly a third of people with these codes had held them more than 10 years without proper removal review.
What is Security Detention for STG members in Texas?
Security Detention is TDCJ's designation for people classified as Security Threat Group (STG) members -- i.e., confirmed or suspected prison gang members. People in Security Detention are held in solitary confinement conditions indefinitely. As of April 2021, 1,723 people were in Security Detention. Access to the mandatory STG renunciation program (which can lead to release from Security Detention) has been inconsistent, with documented cases of people spending 14 years in solitary because the program was unavailable to them.
How long can someone stay in solitary in Texas?
Texas has no statute limiting the duration of administrative segregation or Security Detention. Both are indefinite. Decades-long placements are documented. TDCJ's SPD rules provide for 10-year reviews but these have not been consistently applied. Disciplinary solitary (cell restriction) has a defined term set at the hearing. People on Texas death row have been held in solitary conditions for decades while awaiting execution.
What is the Texas death row solitary confinement situation?
Texas death row is at the Polunsky Unit in Livingston. People awaiting execution have been held in at least 22 hours per day of cell confinement for decades, classified as "restrictive housing" by TDCJ. An active federal case challenges Polunsky Unit conditions (mold, insects, indefinite solitary) as Eighth Amendment violations. TDCJ has argued the conditions are not sufficiently extreme to violate the Constitution. In July 2025, TDCJ implemented a pilot program providing less restrictive conditions for some death row prisoners for the first time in years.
What happened with Texas death row conditions in July 2025?
In July 2025, TDCJ implemented a pilot program at the Polunsky Unit allowing some death row prisoners less restrictive conditions -- including no shackles and no cuffs for certain activities -- for the first time in years. This was described by the Death Penalty Information Center as the first loosening of death row solitary in decades. It is an administrative pilot program, not court-ordered or statutory, and was made independently of the pending federal litigation challenging Polunsky conditions.
Are mentally ill prisoners protected from solitary in TX?
Texas has no statute prohibiting placement of seriously mentally ill prisoners in administrative segregation or Security Detention. TDCJ's CMHC policy (effective November 5, 2025) requires a Qualified Mental Health Professional (QMHP) review at least every 90 days for people in restrictive housing status. This is an administrative policy requirement, not a statutory protection.
What is Texas HB 3725 the solitary reform bill?
HB 3725 (89th Texas Legislature, introduced by Rep. Meza) would abolish indefinite solitary confinement for STG-classified prisoners effective September 5, 2026, replacing classification-based placement with a behavioral-based process. It would also reform due process for STG classification and parole review. Verify the bill's final status at publish.
Can families visit someone in Texas solitary confinement?
Visiting is typically restricted in administrative segregation and Security Detention. Contact the specific TDCJ unit to confirm current visiting rules before traveling. For death row at the Polunsky Unit (Livingston), contact that unit's administrative staff. TDCJ facility contact information is at tdcj.texas.gov. Written mail generally retains stronger protections than in-person visits during solitary confinement.
What can families do if someone is in TX solitary?
Use TDCJ's offender search at tdcj.texas.gov to find your person's unit and housing status. Contact the unit to confirm housing category and reason (SPD code, STG classification, or other). If SPD code has been held more than 10 years, ask about removal review. If in Security Detention for STG, ask about renunciation program access. Know the quarterly QMHP mental health review requirement. File grievances for review failures and program access denials. Contact the Texas Civil Rights Project (texascivilrightsproject.org) or ACLU of Texas (aclutx.org) for advocacy support. ---