A complete TDCJ employment application has two required forms: the PERS 283 (State of Texas Application for Employment) and the PERS 282 (TDCJ Employment Application Supplement). Correctional officer and parole officer candidates also submit a Statement of Availability (PERS 282b for correctional officers, PERS 282c for parole officers), and anyone with a family, spousal, or correspondence tie to a current or former TDCJ offender must add the PERS 282a. All of these forms are available through TDCJ’s online application portal or as downloadable PDFs.1Texas Department of Criminal Justice. TDCJ Employment Application Forms
Confirm You Are Eligible and Pull Your Documents
For correctional officer, the most commonly recruited role, you must be a U.S. citizen or an immigrant authorized to work in the United States, at least 18 years old, and hold a high school diploma from an accredited school or a state- or military-issued GED.2Texas Department of Criminal Justice. TDCJ Correctional Officer Eligibility Criteria Other positions carry their own education or licensing requirements, listed on the individual job posting.
Have these on hand before you open the forms:
- Social Security card (your number is required and verified electronically).
- Valid driver’s license or state ID, with the number and state of issuance.
- Diploma, GED certificate, or college transcripts showing credit hours completed and degrees earned.
- Employment history details: every prior employer’s name and mailing address, supervisor names and titles, dates, and reasons for leaving.
- Military discharge type and service dates, if applicable.
- Criminal history details: dates, jurisdictions, offenses, and outcomes for every conviction, including deferred adjudication and probation.
Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, who are between 18 and 25 must be registered with the Selective Service System. The PERS 283 includes a certification covering that, and failing to register can make you ineligible for state employment.3Selective Service System. Selective Service System
Filling Out the PERS 283
The PERS 283 is the standard application used across Texas state agencies. It collects personal information, job preferences, education, work history, and military service. If you apply through the online portal, these fields appear on screen; the PDF version runs five pages.4Texas Department of Criminal Justice. PERS 283 – State of Texas Application for Employment
Personal Information and Position Details
The first page asks for your full name, mailing address, daytime phone, email, and any other names you have used. Enter the exact position title from the job posting, the posting number, and the closing date. If any of your relatives currently work for TDCJ, list their names and relationships; the agency asks this upfront.
You will also indicate availability for full- or part-time work, the date you can start, whether you will work outside standard 8-to-5 hours, and your willingness to travel. Correctional officer applicants should expect shift work, so answer honestly here.
Criminal History Question on the PERS 283
The main application asks a single criminal history question: whether you have ever been convicted of a felony or placed on deferred adjudication for a felony. Answer yes or no. The detailed disclosure happens on the PERS 282.
Education, Licenses, and Skills
List your high school (or note your GED), then every college, university, graduate program, and vocational school you attended. For each, provide the name and location, dates, semester or clock hours completed, and your degree or diploma. Below that, list any professional licenses or certifications (nursing, legal, engineering, CDL) with license numbers and expiration dates. A skills block lets you note typing speed, sign language, and other languages; Spanish fluency is worth listing if the unit you want serves a Spanish-speaking population.
Employment History
This section is where applicants stumble. Start with your current or most recent job and work backward to your first position. Include every job, whether full-time, part-time, temporary, or seasonal, even if multiple roles were with the same employer. For each entry, provide the employer name and mailing address, supervisor’s name and title, employment type, and dates. Gaps raise questions during the background investigation, so account for stretches of unemployment, schooling, or military service rather than leaving them blank.
Veterans and Former Foster Youth
Veterans enter their discharge type and service dates. Texas gives hiring preference to veterans, unremarried surviving spouses of veterans, and surviving orphans of veterans. A separate question asks whether you were in foster care under the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services the day before your 18th birthday and are 25 or younger; former foster youth receive preference as well.
Certification
The final block carries five certification statements. By signing, you affirm that everything on the application is true, that you are authorized to work in the United States, that you meet Selective Service requirements if applicable, that you consent to criminal history checks, and that you authorize prior employers to release information. A false statement can disqualify you or lead to termination after hiring if it comes to light.
Filling Out the PERS 282 Supplement
The PERS 282 is where TDCJ asks the questions a standard state application does not reach: all criminal convictions (including misdemeanors), gang ties, sexual misconduct history, and relationships with inmates.5Texas Department of Criminal Justice. PERS 282 – TDCJ Employment Application Supplement Background investigators verify what you write, so answer completely.
Criminal Convictions and Pending Charges
Questions 13 through 15 cover the ground most applicants worry about. Question 13 asks whether you have any criminal charges currently pending, including cases where you are still paying fines or restitution or waiting on a court date. Question 14 asks whether you are on parole, probation, deferred adjudication, or in a pre-trial diversion agreement. Question 15 asks whether you have ever been convicted of any crime, misdemeanor or felony.
TDCJ defines “conviction” broadly: being sentenced to confinement, paying a fine, time served, being placed on probation (including deferred adjudication), and court-ordered restitution all count. A deferred adjudication you completed successfully still has to be listed. The only things you can leave off are offenses committed before your 17th birthday handled in juvenile court, convictions formally expunged under state or federal law, and minor traffic violations. DWI, DUI, open container, and driving while license suspended do not count as minor traffic violations, so list them.
For each conviction, give the date, jurisdiction, offense, and outcome. Attach an extra page if you run out of space. Leaving something off because you assume TDCJ will not find it is the fastest way to get disqualified; the agency runs its own criminal history checks and compares the results against what you disclosed.
Gang Affiliation and Tattoos
Question 17 asks whether you are now or have ever been a member of a street gang, or a member of any organization promoting racial, ethnic, or gender supremacy, separation from government authority, or overthrow of the U.S. government. If yes, list the organization, your dates of membership, positions held, and any arrests or convictions tied to your involvement. Question 18 asks about tattoos or markings associated with those organizations and requires you to describe their location on your body.6Texas Department of Criminal Justice. PERS 282 – TDCJ Employment Application Supplement A past affiliation does not automatically disqualify you, but concealing it will. TDCJ reviews these disclosures individually.
Sexual Misconduct History
Questions 9b through 9e ask about prior sexual abuse in any correctional or institutional setting, convictions or civil adjudications for sexual activity involving force or inability to consent, and substantiated sexual harassment incidents. These questions exist because TDCJ must comply with the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act, which prohibits agencies from hiring anyone with that history into positions with inmate contact.
Relationships With TDCJ Offenders
Questions 12a through 12e ask whether you or an immediate family member is related to a current or former TDCJ offender, whether you have ever had a spousal relationship with one, whether you have a business or gang association with one, whether you are on an offender’s visitation list, or whether you have corresponded with one in the past year. Any yes answer triggers the PERS 282a.
When You Also Need the PERS 282a
The PERS 282a (Additional Inmate Information) is conditional. You fill it out only if you answered yes to one of the inmate-relationship questions on the PERS 282. The form collects the offender’s name, TDCJ number, date of birth, and custody status, then asks about the nature of your relationship (spouse, relative, or other) and specifics such as whether you lived together, have children in common, are on the visitation list, or plan future contact.7Texas Department of Criminal Justice. PERS 282a – Additional Inmate Information
TDCJ uses this information to decide whether placing you at a particular unit would create a conflict of interest or security risk. A family connection does not bar you from employment, but it may affect your unit assignment. The form also cites Texas Penal Code Section 39.04, which makes it a felony for a TDCJ employee to engage in sexual contact with someone in TDCJ custody or under TDCJ supervision.
How to Submit Your Application
TDCJ directs applicants to its online portal, where you create an account, complete both the PERS 283 and the PERS 282, and upload supporting documents such as your driver’s license, Social Security card, and education records. Two separate portal links appear on the agency’s apply page, depending on the type of position:
- Uniformed, correctional officer series, and maintenance positions apply through the CO external careers portal.
- Administrative, professional, and technical positions apply through the separate external careers portal on the same page.
If you prefer paper, download the PDFs and mail them to Human Resources at 2 Financial Plaza, Suite 101, Huntsville, TX 77340. Some divisions also accept applications by fax; the Manufacturing and Logistics division publishes a dedicated fax number on its postings.8Texas Department of Criminal Justice. TDCJ Manufacturing and Logistics Transportation and Supply Employment Application Information Keep copies of everything you send. Correctional officer and parole officer applicants must include their completed Statement of Availability (PERS 282b or PERS 282c), which lists the units and geographic areas where you are willing to work.
What Happens After You Submit
Once your application enters the system, the TDCJ staffing team runs quality control: confirming your forms are complete, reviewing your criminal background against what you disclosed, and identifying your salary and potential unit assignment based on your prior experience.9Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Correctional Officer Staffing Anything missing or inconsistent will stall the process until you clear it up.
Qualified candidates are contacted for an interview. TDCJ conducts both in-person and virtual interviews, and correctional officer candidates must also pass the TDCJ Physical Agility Test. The agency runs its own background investigation and verifies your employment history, education, and criminal disclosures against independent records.
If you are not immediately hired, your application stays active for one year from the date of your interview.10Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Frequently Asked Questions – Application Status During that window TDCJ may contact you for other openings that match your qualifications. After a year, submit a fresh application to stay in the candidate pool.
Your Rights if a Criminal Record Comes Up
TDCJ runs thorough background investigations, but those investigations are subject to federal guidelines. Under EEOC enforcement guidance, an employer’s use of criminal history to screen applicants must be job-related and consistent with business necessity. The EEOC directs employers, including government agencies, to weigh three factors before rejecting someone based on a criminal record: the nature and seriousness of the offense, the time that has passed since the offense or completion of the sentence, and the nature of the job sought.11U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Enforcement Guidance on the Consideration of Arrest and Conviction Records in Employment Decisions Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
An arrest alone, without a conviction, is not sufficient grounds for rejection. The EEOC also recommends an individualized assessment before disqualifying anyone flagged by a criminal record screen, giving the applicant a chance to provide context such as rehabilitation evidence or the circumstances of the offense.
None of this means a record will not affect your chances. TDCJ is a law enforcement agency, and certain convictions, particularly felonies and sexual offenses, carry significant weight. But the agency cannot apply a blanket ban. If you are rejected because of your background, you have the right to know the reason and to dispute inaccurate information.