How Often Can You Visit Someone at Goodman Unit? Understanding Visiting Cycles and Limits

Under TDCJ rules, visit limits are tracked by a “visiting cycle,” not by calendar months. A visiting cycle begins on Monday and runs through the following Sunday. That Monday–Sunday window is the unit the system uses when it decides whether an inmate has already had their allowed visit for the cycle.

Normally, an eligible inmate is allowed one visit per visiting cycle (Monday through Sunday). In practical terms, that usually means you’ll want to pick one visit during that week’s cycle and coordinate everyone around it, because once a visit happens in that cycle, additional in-person visits may not be allowed until the next Monday starts a new cycle.

If you’re using the online visitation scheduler and your relationship to the inmate is confirmed, pay attention to what the system shows next to their name. When an inmate’s visitation privileges have been removed, the scheduler replaces the “Schedule Visit” button with the message “Not Approved for Visits,” which is a sign you won’t be able to book a visit right now through the system.

You may see two different wordings in TDCJ materials that sound like they conflict. The visitation rules describe the limit as “one visit per visiting cycle,” and they define the cycle as Monday through Sunday. Separately, TDCJ’s visitation guidance also uses the phrase “one visit per weekend.” Those statements are talking about the same basic limit, but they’re framed differently.

For planning purposes, treat “one visit per visiting cycle (Monday–Sunday)” as the cleanest rule to schedule around - especially if multiple people want to visit, or if you’re trying to book on different days. Because schedules and eligibility can change quickly, I recommend confirming the current situation with the unit before anyone drives in, so you don’t end up with two groups thinking they each have a separate “weekend” visit.

When you’re scheduling, the system may show different visit types - such as Regular, Contact, and Video/Tablet. Don’t assume every option will be available for every situation. Availability can depend on your visitor/inmate relationship, how the facility’s visitation areas are set up, and the inmate’s current visitation privileges, so what you see in the scheduler may vary from person to person.

TDCJ also allows remote video visits (kiosk-based) for eligible inmates under a separate limit: they may occur once per month for up to 60 minutes. These remote video visits are considered in addition to contact or general visits, so they don’t automatically replace the usual in-person visit allowance.

1. Check the online scheduler first - Look for the “Schedule Visit” option and confirm what the system will allow for the current Monday–Sunday cycle.
2. Coordinate one plan for the cycle - Decide who is visiting and when, so you don’t accidentally create competing plans that exceed the one-visit-per-cycle limit.
3. Call the unit when the scheduler can’t book you - If the button is blank or replaced with “Call Unit,” schedule by phone.
4. Verify right before anyone leaves - Visitation information can be updated daily (and multiple times on visitation days), so confirm before you travel.

• ✓ The visit type options you see can change based on your visitor/inmate relationship.
• ✓ Facility visitation-area design can limit which visit types are offered.
• ✓ Inmate visitation privileges can restrict what’s available (or whether visits can be scheduled at all).
• ✓ If the options don’t look right for your situation, call the unit to confirm what’s currently available.