"Can you meet the challenge?"
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Approximately 40,000 people are employed by the statewide criminal justice agency. But with more than 150,000 inmates to supervise, TDCJ has had to adopt new recruitment methods—including chauvinistic YouTube promos like this one—in an effort to attract prospective applicants.
"Drain cleaner works just as well..."
For almost six years, the TDCJ Community Page on Facebook has served as an open forum for officers and friends who want to gossip about prison drama or stay up-to-date on the state's supply of lethal injection drugs.
To be sure, the comments section can get a little—well, cruel and unusual.
Consider this status update, for example.
"He" is Robert Pruett, a death row inmate who was charged in the 1999 murder of TDCJ correctional officer Daniel Nagel. There wasn't any physical evidence that linked Pruett to the crime—not even a compelling motive, really. But a few inmates testified against him in court, and at 22-years-old, he was sentenced to death. For some TDCJ employees, the death penalty is sacrosanct. A stay of execution is its own form of sacrilege.
"You know you've been working at TDCJ too long if..."
About a year after the Community Page launched, the agency's tech savvy followers created a second unauthorized Facebook page. The tongue-and-cheek TDCJ community posts more prison-related memes than you can shake a selfie-stick at.
BREAKING: The Texas Department of Criminal Justice has an official Twitter account.
Are you ready for a challenge? Join the ranks of @TDCJ and become a correctional officer. https://t.co/tr6WVl9pYB
On May 21, @TDCJ was reborn. Though the agency joined Twitter in December 2012, the account had remained inactive for years. As an official extension of TDCJ social media, Tweets=endorsements and recruitment is an apparent priority.
"Are you ready for a challenge?"
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