English Classes for Non‑Native Speakers at FCI Texarkana: Requirements and Exemptions
If your loved one struggles with English, the Bureau of Prisons requires them to attend ESL classes. Here's how the program works at FCI Texarkana—who must attend, how long classes run, how progress is measured, and who qualifies for an exemption.
FCI Texarkana offers the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) English as a Second Language (ESL) Program - a standard program available at every BOP facility. Your loved one isn't relying on some optional local class that may or may not exist. ESL is built into the institution's education offerings.
At FCI Texarkana, inmates with limited English proficiency must participate in ESL in most situations. They stay in the program until they reach an eighth-grade equivalency level. Progress isn't judged by guesswork. The BOP uses standardized reading and listening assessments to measure that eighth-grade benchmark - giving staff a consistent way to track improvement and determine when someone has met the requirement.
ESL classes at FCI Texarkana run Monday through Friday. Each session lasts at least 1½ hours, so it's a steady weekday commitment - not something that happens only now and then. How long someone stays in the program varies, but the daily rhythm is built around those weekday classes and that minimum instruction time.
Exemptions
- ✓ Pretrial inmates
- ✓ Inmates committed for study and observation under 18 U.S.C. 4205(c) or 18 U.S.C. 3552(b)
- ✓ Sentenced aliens with a deportation detainer
- ✓ Other inmates the Warden excuses from attending ESL for documented good cause
Note: ESL exemptions aren’t a permanent “opt‑out.” If the special circumstance ends, the inmate is required to participate in the ESL program.
Your loved one has access to ESL, and encouragement from home can make the routine easier. In letters or calls, keep it simple: ask what they worked on in class, celebrate small wins like understanding a form or learning new vocabulary, and remind them the goal is steady progress. I recommend keeping your messages clear and easy to read - short sentences, familiar words, one topic at a time. If you want to understand how ESL affects their daily schedule at FCI Texarkana, staff can explain the specifics for their unit.
Find an Inmate at FCI TEXARKANA, TX
Search for a loved one and send messages and photos in minutes.
