How to visit, scheduling, dress code, and visitor requirements
Visiting at the Coleman Unit starts with the TDCJ Online Visitation Scheduler. You'll need to create your own account—staff can't do it for you. Watch for a validation email with a 7-digit code, and complete the Background Questionnaire before you can schedule. On-site visits run Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., lasting two hours. The clock doesn't start until both the inmate and visitor(s) are present. Contact visits allow limited physical contact: one embrace or kiss at the start, one at the end, and holding hands on top of the table in full view of staff. Remote video/tablet visits may be available through the vendor portal, generally once per month for up to 60 minutes. If you're traveling more than 250 miles one way, the warden may approve longer visits up to four hours. Visitation is a privilege and can be restricted or ended for rule violations or emergencies. If you're removed from a visitor list, you can appeal within 14 days to the Director's Review Committee.
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Planning a weekend visit at the Coleman Unit? Two things matter most: the visiting window and how that two-hour clock actually works. Here's what you need to know.
Trying to set up a video visit with someone at the Coleman Unit? The confusing part: TDCJ uses more than one system. Here's how Securus remote video visits differ from TDCJ tablet visitation, and what you need to do to schedule each one.
Contact visits at Coleman Unit allow some physical contact—but within strict limits. You can share one embrace and one kiss at the start of your visit, and one of each at the end. Want to hold hands during the visit? That's allowed, but only if your hands stay on top of the table in full view of staff the entire time.
Coleman Unit’s on-site visiting days are Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
A regular visit at the Coleman Unit lasts two hours. The two-hour period starts when both the inmate and the visitor(s) are present.
Create your own account in the TDCJ Online Visitation Scheduler—staff can’t create accounts for visitors. During setup, you’ll get an email with a 7-digit validation code, and you must fully answer the Background Questionnaire before you can schedule. Remote tablet/video sessions are also scheduled through the visitation portal/vendor system.
Want to receive phone calls from someone at the Coleman Unit? You'll need to register your phone number first. And heads up: starting December 1, 2025, you'll also need a funded AdvanceConnect account to pay for calls.
Putting money on someone's trust account at the Coleman Unit is straightforward once you pick an approved method and confirm you're allowed to send funds under TDCJ's sender rules.
Mailing someone at the Coleman Unit? Here's the big change: most personal mail no longer goes directly to the prison. Since September 6, 2023, TDCJ routes personal letters, greeting cards, and photos through its Digital Mail Processing Center, where they're scanned and uploaded to the inmate's secure tablet.
