Texas State Prisons
106 facilities- Ernestine Glossbrenner Unit- Correctional Institution
- Jesse R. Dawson TX State Jail
- TDCJ - A.M. "Mac" Stringfellow Unit (R2)
- TDCJ - Alfred D. Hughes Unit (AH)
- TDCJ - Allan B. Polunsky Unit (TL)
Federal Facilities in Texas
13 facilities- FCI Bastrop Low and Satellite Camp
- FCI Beaumont Low and Satellite Camp
- FCI Beaumont Medium
- FCI Big Spring Low and Satellite Camp
- FCI La Tuna Low and Satellite Camp
Texas County Jails
239 facilities- Anderson County TX Jail
- Andrews County TX Jail
- Angelina County TX Jail
- Aransas County TX Detention Center
- Archer County TX Jail
ICE Detention Centers
17 facilities- Bluebonnet Detention Center (ICE) - MTC
- Central Louisiana (ICE) Processing Center-GEO
- Dilley Immigration Processing Center (ICE) - CoreCivic
- El Paso Service Processing Center (ICE)
- El Valle Detention Facility (ICE) - MTC
Texas Department of Corrections
Texas TDCJ offender search allows searches by TDCJ number or name. Texas has the largest state prison system in the US - housing about 130,000 inmates across 104 state facilities. Texas also has 254 counties - more than any other state - each with its own jail.
The official inmate search is available at offender.tdcj.texas.gov/OffenderSearch/search.action. FCI Seagoville, FCI Bastrop, and FMC Carswell (women's federal medical) serve Texas federal inmates.
Visitation in Texas Facilities
TDCJ visitor approval requires a completed I-60 form submitted by the inmate, followed by the family member's completed questionnaire. Processing takes 4 - 8 weeks - Texas's approval process is among the most thorough. Background checks for all adult visitors. Dress code strictly enforced - contact the specific unit before visiting.
Always confirm visiting schedules directly with the facility before traveling. Find specific visitation rules on each facility's page in our Texas prison directory.
Sending Mail to Texas Inmates
Texas TDCJ mail requires the inmate's TDCJ number on every envelope. Texas uses a centralized mail processing system, so most personal mail is routed through the agency's mail room and may be scanned and delivered to the inmate electronically before reaching them. Standard 4x6 photos are accepted. Some units handle mail differently, so confirm the current procedure on the facility's page before sending.
InmateAid delivers letters and photos, postcards, and magazines to Texas facilities. Want to receive letters without sharing your home address? Our Letters From Inmates service scans and delivers inmate mail to your account for a low per-letter price.
Phone Calls from Texas Facilities
Texas does not offer free inmate phone calls. Securus Technologies holds the TDCJ contract for most facilities, and families set up a prepaid account to receive calls.
Under the FCC's Martha Wright-Reed Order, per-minute rates for inmate calls are now federally capped at prisons and large jails, with a facility fee permitted on top of the per-minute rate. The caps were the subject of FCC revisions in 2025 that adjusted the original ceilings, so the exact per-minute rate can shift. Find the current carrier and rate for any specific facility on its page in our Texas prison directory.
Sending Money to Texas Inmates
Commissary funds let inmates purchase approved items from the facility store. Primary money transfer options for Texas:
- JPay (primary for TDCJ)
- Money orders mailed to TDCJ trust fund
- Lobby kiosks at some facilities
See our Send Money guide or navigate to the specific facility page for current provider information.
Reentry Resources in Texas
Planning for release is one of the most important things a family can do. These organizations provide support in Texas:
- Texas TDCJ Reentry - Official reentry programs
- Texas Fair Defense Project - Criminal justice advocacy in Texas
- Lioness Justice Impacted Women - Women's reentry advocacy in Texas
- Texas Reentry Roundtable - Statewide reentry coalition
Frequently Asked Questions About Texas Prisons
What is the Walls Unit in Huntsville?
The Huntsville Unit - universally known as The Walls - is the oldest operating state prison in Texas, built in 1849 and sitting in the middle of downtown Huntsville in Walker County. Its massive red brick walls, from which the nickname derives, are a city landmark. The Walls Unit is where Texas carries out executions - more executions have taken place in this building than at any other location in the world. Beyond its role as the execution site, the Walls houses a general sentenced population. The facility is adjacent to Sam Houston State University campus and is the most urban setting of any major Texas prison, accessible to Houston-area families in about an hour.
What is Texas death row?
Male death row inmates in Texas are housed at the Polunsky Unit in Livingston, Polk County - about 75 miles north of Houston. Death row inmates at Polunsky are in single-cell housing with non-contact visits only, limited recreation, and minimal programming. Executions are not carried out at Polunsky - inmates are transferred to the Walls Unit in Huntsville, about 40 miles away, for the execution itself. Female death row inmates are at the Mountain View Unit in Gatesville. Visiting death row inmates involves significantly more restrictions than general population - contact the specific facility directly well before any planned visit.
Does Texas have free prison phone calls?
No - Texas has not eliminated phone call fees. Securus Technologies holds the TDCJ contract for most facilities. The FCC's April 2026 rate caps apply to interstate calls from Texas state prisons, reducing costs from historical highs, but calls are not free. Texas has the largest state prison system in the country - about 130,000 inmates - making the cumulative financial burden of phone costs on Texas families enormous. Set up a Securus prepaid account rather than accepting collect calls. Texas's 254 county jails each contract separately, and county rates vary widely.
What is a TDCJ number?
Every Texas state inmate is assigned a unique TDCJ number when they enter state custody. It must appear on all mail and is required for the TDCJ offender search at offender.tdcj.texas.gov. TDCJ numbers are numeric - typically 6 to 8 digits - assigned sequentially at intake. County jail detainees have their own booking numbers; they don't receive TDCJ numbers until sentenced to state custody. The TDCJ number is permanent for the sentence regardless of which of Texas's 100+ state facilities the inmate is at.
How do I find someone in a Texas county jail?
Texas has 254 county jails - more than any other state, one per county. The TDCJ offender search covers state prison inmates only. Contact the county sheriff's office or check the county's online inmate roster for county detainees. The Texas Commission on Jail Standards at tcjs.state.tx.us maintains information and contact details on all 254 county jails. Harris County in Houston, Dallas County, Bexar County in San Antonio, and Tarrant County in Fort Worth have the four largest county jail systems.
What is the Texas prison farm system?
Texas historically operated one of the most extensive prison farm systems in the US - a direct continuation of the plantation economy using inmate labor. The Ramsey Unit, Darrington Unit, Eastham Unit, and others were literally former cotton and sugar cane plantations converted to state prisons after the Civil War. Inmates farmed the fields without pay for most of the 20th century, a practice civil rights advocates repeatedly challenged as a continuation of slavery under the Thirteenth Amendment's carve-out permitting involuntary servitude as punishment for crime. While the agricultural program still exists in reduced form, the large-scale forced field labor has been significantly wound down since the 1990s following litigation and federal scrutiny.