The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is the second largest state agency in Texas with over 30,000 full time employees. It was first established in 1848 with an act to build a state penitentiary. The first unit built was the Walls Unit in Huntsville, which was opened in 1849 and is still operational today. Over the years, new boards and commissions were introduced, and in 1989 the Board of Pardons and Paroles, the Texas Adult Probation Commission, and the Texas Department of Corrections merged into the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
LE Townsend began his career with TDCJ after high school as a Correctional Officer at the Wallace Pack Unit in Navasota. He rose through the correctional series to serve as the Senior Warden at the Michael Unit while obtaining his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Wayland Baptist University. In 2023, LE was promoted to Region V Director within the Correctional Institutions Division, which saw him overseeing the operations of 13 different facilities within the agency. At the beginning of 2025, he was tapped to take on the role of Deputy Director of Prison and Jail Operations within the Correctional Institutions Division. He now oversees the daily operations of 102 facilities operated under the purview of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, as well as implements and monitors initiatives brought forth by agency leadership.
LE, tell us a little about what gives you the strongest sense of pride in your job and your agency.
Seeing staff day in and day out continue to give 100% when faced with challenges. I’ve had the privilege of interacting with countless people throughout my career while working and visiting correctional facilities across the state. The staff of TDCJ are some of the most dedicated individuals I’ve ever encountered and knowing that I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside and lead these men and women gives me an immeasurable amount of pride.
What part of your work lets you know that you are in exactly the right place?
As I progressed through the career ladder, my passion to support and develop staff that I worked with grew stronger. This prompted my desire to further advance “up the chain” so that I could have a positive impact on more people. There’s an old saying of “Be the change you want to see.” I took this to heart very early on in my career, and my desire to see the agency continue to promote positive change within our workforce, as well as the inmate population, is still my main driving force today.
What are some common misconceptions about your job or agency?
People tend to assume the agency and its employees do not care about rehabilitating the inmate population, when this could not be further from the truth. Staff as a whole want to do all they can to ensure inmates are able to succeed once they re-enter into society. We firmly believe that the more opportunities we can offer to the inmate population to better themselves, the odds of them reoffending upon their release drastically reduce.
People also tend to assume that once individuals reach a certain level of leadership, like my current position, they begin to forget about the front-line staff that make the agency run. This again could not be further from the truth. Everything I do, and every initiative I implement, is done with the line-level staff and inmate population in mind. Whether it be ways to improve operational efficiency to make their jobs easier, or ways to improve overall safety for both the staff and inmate population. Many facets of this job have a domino effect upon each other. If the agency and I can implement initiatives that improve working conditions and efficiencies of the line-level staff, this will ultimately have a positive impact on the rehabilitative needs of the inmate population.
What projects have you/your agency undertaken that has had the most positive impact on the citizens of Texas?
Right now, there is a major push within the agency to expand educational, vocational, and programmatic opportunities. Additionally, the agency continues to advertise and promote job skills obtained by the inmate population to the free-world workforce with the hope to promote the hiring of previously incarcerated individuals. The goal is to ensure every inmate who either discharges or paroles their sentence has a job waiting on them as soon as they walk out the gate. This leads not only to a stronger workforce in the state of Texas, but safer communities. Giving inmates the skills and education to become productive members of society would lower the potential for them to return to situations that put them in prison in the first place. (Note: You can learn more about TDCJ’s plan at the 2030 Vision website.)
Is there anything else you would like to share or want people to know?
It has been an absolute honor to serve the citizens of Texas, the staff of TDCJ, and the incarcerated population throughout my 20 years of service. It is my personal belief that once you get to a certain point in your career you no longer work for the people above you, but rather you work for the people below you. My entire career I have tried my hardest to lead from the front and give everything I have to support my staff in any way possible. I would not be in the position I am in today without all the staff that have worked alongside me throughout my career, and it is my mission to ensure their success and the success of the agency.
LE is an exemplary example of an Essential Texan. Not only does he serve his fellow Texans at TDCJ, but he serves all state employees and retirees as a board member here at TPEA. Thank you for your service, your dedication, and the care you show to everyone at TDCJ and Texans. We are honored to work with you, LE.
Would you like to be featured as an Essential Texan? Please email membersupport@tpea.org to learn more.
