How to send messages, photos, and packages
Staying in touch with someone at a Texas prison can include phone calls, video visits, electronic messages, and tablets—but what's available depends on the unit. Ellen Halbert offers electronic messaging through JPay, which works like email and lets incarcerated people respond electronically. Each message requires a purchasable "Stamp" (available online or at facility kiosks), and JPay says emails typically arrive within 48 hours. Depending on unit rules, you may also attach photos or send a 30‑second VideoGram. All messages are screened before delivery through vendor tablets or as printed copies.
Search for a loved one and send messages and photos in minutes.
JPay can be a fast way to stay in touch, but features and timing vary by facility. Here's how to set up your account, buy stamps, and send messages with photos or a VideoGram—plus what to check before you hit send.
JPay can be faster than regular mail for staying in touch, but what you can actually send—and what your loved one can do on their end—depends on what Ellen Halbert Unit has enabled. Here's how it works, plus what to confirm before spending money.
Create a free JPay account, then purchase a JPay “Stamp” online or at a facility kiosk for each email you send. Messages are screened and delivered via vendor tablets or printed copies, and JPay reports delivery is usually within 48 hours.
Sometimes. Some units allow photo attachments and a 30‑second VideoGram with an email, but it depends on unit rules. Check the inmate’s facility page or your JPay options to see what’s enabled for Ellen Halbert.
JPay reports that emails are usually received within 48 hours. Screening by the vendor or facility can add time, so allow extra time for review.
Address the envelope with the inmate’s full name and ID number. Add your full name and return address, and include the facility/unit name if you know it. Stick to standard paper sizes and follow any page limits in the mail requirements.
JPay supports photo attachments and short VideoGrams as part of its email service. Whether photos or VideoGrams are allowed depends on the facility’s settings, so confirm Ellen Halbert’s options before you purchase message credits.
In Texas, most personal paper mail is sent through a centralized processor where accepted pages are screened and scanned for digital delivery to inmate tablets. Legal and privileged mail typically follows a separate process and may not be scanned into the general digital system.
Sending money by mail to someone at Ellen Halbert Unit? The fastest way to avoid delays: use the exact payee format, include a completed deposit slip, and mail everything to the Inmate Trust Fund address.
Prefer paying in cash? You've got several ways to add money to an inmate's account at the Ellen Halbert Unit. Here are the walk-in and cash-friendly options people use most.
Money for someone at Ellen Halbert Unit goes into their TDCJ Inmate Trust Fund account. You've got options: send it online or by phone through approved vendors, deposit cash at MoneyGram for JPay, mail a money order with a deposit slip, or set up a free monthly ACH debit.
