Dallas County and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice have launched a digital system intended to reduce delays when people sentenced to state custody are transferred from the county jail to prison.

The Penitentiary Packet system, called PEN, allows counties to submit required commitment documents through a secure TDCJ platform. Dallas County said the portal replaces hand delivery, mail and emailed attachments while allowing county and state employees to track packets through review and scheduling.

Transfer delays can leave “paper-ready” prisoners in county jails after they have been sentenced to state custody. Missing signatures or other paperwork errors may cause TDCJ to return a packet, adding time before intake can be scheduled.

The Dallas County Sheriff’s Office said the agencies spent about 10 months developing the system and that it could eventually be used statewide. The change is particularly important in Dallas, where jail crowding and case-management problems have contributed to costly delays.

For families, a completed sentence does not mean an immediate move to a prison unit. Processing, document review, medical needs and transportation scheduling can affect the timing. Official custody information should be confirmed through the county jail and TDCJ.

Sources: KERA — Dallas County PEN system; TDCJ — pen-packet requirements.