Penmate Inmate Support Guides
Visitation

Can You Visit If You're Not on the List Yet? Relationship Approval at Ferguson Unit

Trying to schedule a visit at Ferguson Unit but you're not "on the list" yet? What matters is where your relationship request sits in the TDCJ online visitation scheduler. Here's how the approval process works — and what to do while you wait.

• 2 min read • tdcj.texas.gov
Can You Visit If You're Not on the List Yet? Relationship Approval at Ferguson Unit

When you add an inmate and submit a relationship request through the TDCJ online visitation scheduler, it won't become active right away. Your request stays on your home page under "Relation Requests Pending Approval" until unit staff confirms the visitor/inmate relationship. Once verified, it moves to the "Verified Inmate Relations" section.

Once the relationship is confirmed, look for the inmate under "Verified Inmate Relations." That's when the scheduler may let you book a visit. See a working "Schedule Visit" option next to their name? You can book from there. If that option is missing, you can't schedule online for that inmate right now - even though the relationship itself has been verified.

Note: If the “Schedule Visit” button is blank or replaced with “Call Unit,” you’ll need to call the inmate’s unit of assignment to set up the visit.

When you add an inmate to your visitor profile, the TDCJ/SID number has to be entered exactly as an 8-digit number. If the number is missing a digit (or has an extra one), the system may not match the person you’re trying to add.

  1. Look up the number using TDCJ Offender Search - If you don’t know the inmate’s TDCJ/SID number, use the Offender Search feature on the TDCJ website to find it.
  2. Enter the number as exactly 8 digits - Use the full 8-digit TDCJ/SID number when adding the inmate to your visitor profile so the relationship request attaches correctly.
Can You Visit If You're Not on the List Yet? Relationship Approval at Ferguson Unit

If Approval Delayed Practical Steps

  • ✓ Check your home page for the request to move from “Relation Requests Pending Approval” to “Verified Inmate Relations.”
  • ✓ Once it’s verified, look for the “Schedule Visit” option by the inmate’s name in the Verified section.

If the scheduler shows "Call Unit" (or the "Schedule Visit" space is blank), don't keep refreshing and hoping it changes. That's the system's way of telling you to call the inmate's unit of assignment and arrange the visit directly.

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