Freestone VINELink Became IVSS
Texas changed county notification from VINE to Texas IVSS-Counties on September 1, 2025. Existing VINE registrations transferred. First-time users of the new portal were directed to update their password, while phone and text delivery continued through a new provider. “VINELink” remains a common search term, but the current county portal and current account workflow should control.
The Texas Attorney General’s notification page documents the transition, supported events, and contact methods. The official transition screen below shows why older VINELink directions can now lead to the wrong workflow.
The current service supports county booking and release events, court schedule changes, death, escape, and transfer to TDCJ. A transfer event must be read as continued custody, not release to the community.
Freestone County IVSS Participation
Freestone County historically received a Statewide Automated Victim Notification Service grant. That history is useful context, but it does not prove current participation in the new live portal. The Attorney General warns that not every county participates. Searchers should test Freestone County in IVSS-Counties and preserve the date of the check.
This is the county’s distinctive notification issue: the platform changed while TDCJ kept a separate state system. A past grant, an old VINE instruction sheet, or a statewide landing page cannot establish that a current Freestone County record is present. If the county search returns no match, call the Sheriff at 903-389-3236 instead of treating silence as release.
Search One Freestone County Record
A person-specific check works best with more than a name. Date of birth, booking or case number, SID, and TDCJ number can separate people with similar names. Choose the portal based on custody, then compare the identifiers on the result before relying on any status.
- Open Texas IVSS-Counties and choose the offender or case search.
- Enter the person’s name and any available identifiers. Narrow the result to Freestone County.
- Compare the booking or case details, court, and date of birth where available.
- Open the matching record and read each event literally. “Released” and “transferred to TDCJ” are different outcomes.
- If no match appears, check spelling and timing, then contact the Freestone County Sheriff for current local custody or a release record.
The official IVSS-Counties landing page is shown below so the current county search route is easy to recognize.
The landing page is a starting point, not proof of a Freestone match. Participation, spelling, data timing, or the wrong custody system can each explain an empty search.
Freestone IVSS Release Fields
County and state IVSS records serve different agencies, so fields vary. The county service focuses on offender or case events. TDCJ IVSS can show a longer state-custody history. Treat expected dates as forecasts and actual release dates as historical fields.
| Field or event | What it means |
|---|---|
| Booked | A county system recorded a booking event; it does not show later release by itself. |
| Released | The reporting agency recorded departure from that custody episode; confirm whether another authority assumed custody. |
| Transfer to TDCJ | The person moved from county custody into the Texas prison system. |
| Offender status | TDCJ IVSS may distinguish current custody, supervision, or a past term. |
| Expected Release Date | A future state date that can change and is not proof that release occurred. |
| Release Date | A historical TDCJ field showing that the state custody episode ended. |
| TDCJ number history | Intake and release dates tied to current or prior state identification numbers. |
A released county-jail person will not necessarily appear in TDCJ IVSS. Likewise, the ordinary TDCJ online locator is aimed at current state inmates and is not a history of everyone released from Freestone County Jail.
Set Freestone Release Notifications
Registration follows a verified record. Search access is available without registering, while an account is needed to save delivery choices and manage alerts. Current instructions use account credentials and preferences rather than the old VINE phone PIN process.
- Find and verify the correct offender or case record before subscribing.
- Create an IVSS-Counties account or sign in to an existing account.
- Select the offered telephone, text, or email channels for that record.
- Set notification hours and blackout dates so calls or messages arrive at usable times.
- Save the choices and preserve the confirmation. Return to the account to pause, update, or review notification history.
English and Spanish support is available around the clock at 866-268-8959. Current OAG instructions do not document a four-digit PIN. Legacy VINE used a user-chosen PIN to acknowledge phone calls, but that historic detail should not be inserted into the modern setup steps.
For a TDCJ case, subscribe through the separate state IVSS. Its events can include parole eligibility, Board decisions, release, discharge, parole, and mandatory supervision. Delivery may include email, letter, text, or telephone, depending on the available service and registration.
Check Freestone TDCJ Releases
Use the state system when a person was sent to William R. Boyd Unit or another TDCJ facility. The TDCJ IVSS specific-person search supports name, SID, current TDCJ number, and a separate prior-number path. Search instructions also allow an asterisk for partial matches.
The state search distinguishes a prison record from a county-only jail stay. Open “View Details” and compare identity, facility, offender status, expected date, actual date, and number history. A location change may be an inter-unit move. A projected or expected date is not an actual release.
If the online result is unclear, email pia@tdcj.texas.gov with the full name and seven-digit TDCJ number. If that number is unknown, provide the exact date of birth; an approximate age plus county of conviction may help. The public email response can include the TDCJ number, location, offense, prior incarceration information, and Projected Release Date.
Freestone Release Alert Limits
Notification tools are aids, not guarantees. County participation may be incomplete, data may lag, a name may be entered differently, and a recent event may not yet appear. Confirm urgent or unclear local status with the Sheriff and request the underlying release entry when documentary proof is needed.
| Custody | Correct route |
|---|---|
| Freestone County Jail or local court | Test IVSS-Counties, then confirm with the Sheriff or clerk. |
| Texas prison, parole, or mandatory supervision | Use TDCJ IVSS and TDCJ records channels. |
| Federal prison | Use the BOP Inmate Locator; IVSS does not cover BOP. |
| Federal pretrial custody | Use the federal docket and focused USMS records route because there is no public USMS person locator. |
| Immigration detention | Use ICE ODLS and ICE contact channels; county transfer is not community release. |
A BOP result of “Released” or “Not in BOP Custody” speaks only to BOP custody. ICE results have limited recent-release coverage and exact-match demands. Neither is a Freestone County booking archive.
The full Freestone County release search explains how to pair an agency status with a jail entry, court order, or supervision record. Note: Save the date, time, identifiers, and event wording because online custody information can change after an alert is delivered.
Freestone Release Alert Limits
Notification tools are aids, not guarantees. County participation may be incomplete, data may lag, a name may be entered differently, and a recent event may not yet appear. Confirm urgent or unclear local status with the Sheriff and request the underlying release entry when documentary proof is needed.
| Custody | Correct route |
|---|---|
| Freestone County Jail or local court | Test IVSS-Counties, then confirm with the Sheriff or clerk. |
| Texas prison, parole, or mandatory supervision | Use TDCJ IVSS and TDCJ records channels. |
| Federal prison | Use the BOP Inmate Locator; IVSS does not cover BOP. |
| Federal pretrial custody | Use the federal docket and focused USMS records route because there is no public USMS person locator. |
| Immigration detention | Use ICE ODLS and ICE contact channels; county transfer is not community release. |
A BOP result of “Released” or “Not in BOP Custody” speaks only to BOP custody. ICE results have limited recent-release coverage and exact-match demands. Neither is a Freestone County booking archive.
Notification also does not replace the source document. A county alert can mark a release or transfer event, but the Sheriff’s booking and release entry can supply the recorded time, release code, and receiving agency where maintained and public. A TDCJ alert can announce a state event, while the offender detail and TDCJ record establish the status fields tied to that prison term.
Identity checks matter at every stage. Match a county result with a booking or case number when available. Match a state result with SID or TDCJ number, date of birth, offense, and county of conviction. A shared name is not enough, and an alert tied to the wrong record can cause needless confusion.
The full Freestone County release search explains how to pair an agency status with a jail entry, court order, or supervision record. Note: Save the date, time, identifiers, and event wording because online custody information can change after an alert is delivered.