Texas Correctional Officers Get Fashion Makeover

AUSTIN, Texas — Correctional officers began sporting a new look in 2008 as the Department of Corrections introduced an updated uniform designed to provide more comfort and flexibility.

In addition to the existing long-sleeved gray shirt, variations of which have been in use since the 1960s, the DOC’s approximately 25,000 correctional officers now have the option of a more casual short-sleeved navy blue shirt. Officers can also choose from two new styles of gray pants.

The new uniform, which is manufactured in the state prison system using cotton grown on prison farms, will be phased in during the next two years, officials say.

Designed to be lighter and more durable than the existing gray button-down, the new polo-style shirt is designed to offer officers more comfort on the job. The new shirt also provides officers with more flexibility in accommodating stab-resistant protective vests, which are worn underneath the uniform, officials say.

Seniority slashes — representing an officer’s years of service — that were incorporated onto shirt sleeves by the department 10 years ago, during the previous uniform update, are not featured in the new uniform.