Relationship Requests, 'Call Unit', and 'Not Approved for Visits' — What Polunsky visitors should know

After you click Request Approval on a Relationship Request in the TDCJ scheduler, approval isn't instant. Your request goes to the incarcerated person's unit of assignment - for Polunsky visitors, that's Polunsky - where staff verify the visitor/inmate relationship. Until that verification is complete, you may not be able to schedule a visit the way you'd expect.

The quickest way to check your status is your visitor home page. If your request hasn't been approved yet, it stays listed under Relation Requests Pending Approval. That

If the Schedule Visit button is blank - or replaced with Call Unit - you can't finish scheduling online right now. The system is telling you to call Polunsky directly to schedule your visit.

• ✓ Incarcerated person’s name and TDCJ number
• ✓ Your full name (exactly as it appears on your account/ID)
• ✓ Your relationship to the incarcerated person (the same relationship you requested)
• ✓ A few preferred dates/times you’re hoping to visit (so you can offer options while you’re on the phone)
• ✓ A pen and paper (or notes app) to write down what the unit tells you about scheduling

Seeing Not Approved for Visits can feel alarming, but it doesn't necessarily mean you did something wrong. This message appears when your relationship has been verified, but the incarcerated person's visitation privileges have been removed. When that's the case, Not Approved for Visits replaces the Schedule Visit button - there's no online option to book a visit from that screen.

1. Call Polunsky to confirm what the status means - If the scheduler shows Not Approved for Visits, contact the unit and ask whether visitation privileges have been removed and whether there’s any additional information they can share about your situation.
2. Ask what the unit needs for next steps - If visits aren’t currently allowed, ask what needs to happen before visits can be scheduled again and whether there are any other options you should use in the meantime.
3. Re-check scheduling once the status changes - If privileges are restored, confirm whether you should schedule through the online scheduler or whether the unit still wants you to schedule by phone (for example, if the button remains blank or shows Call Unit).