Hobby Unit, TX

Plan ahead for visits at Hobby Unit by scheduling through the TDCJ Online Visitation Scheduler. You'll need to create your own account, confirm registration with the 7-digit email validation code, and enter the inmate's eight-digit TDCJ/SID number when prompted. Eligible inmates normally receive one visit per visiting cycle (week). Regular visiting runs Saturdays and Sundays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Each visit lasts two hours, starting when both the inmate and visitors are present. Contact visits allow limited physical contact—a brief embrace or kiss at the start and end, plus hand-holding with hands on the table. If you're traveling over 250 miles, split and extended visits (up to four hours) may be available at the warden's discretion. Bring a current government-issued photo ID. Keep cash outside the secure perimeter (coins up to $35 are okay), and leave your phone outside. Expect searches. Remote video visits via kiosks are also available.

To receive phone calls from Hobby Unit, register your phone number online and provide the inmate's TDCJ ID. (TDCJ also offers phone help if you need to locate an ID or get assistance.) During registration, you'll confirm you're the registered owner, you're at least 18, you won't forward or three-way calls, and you agree the inmate may call that number. Facility phones are generally available from about 5:00 a.m. to midnight. Each call is limited to 30 minutes—tablet phone hours may differ. Calls can go to home landlines and post-paid or pre-paid cell phones only. No internet services, 800 numbers, businesses, pay phones, or international numbers. All calls are monitored and recorded, except those to an attorney of record. Remote video visits run 60 minutes, cost $10, and are limited to one per month.

To send personal mail to someone at Hobby Unit, route your letter through the TDCJ Digital Mail Processing Center. Address it with the inmate's full name and TDCJ number, and mail it to the Dallas PO Box provided for processing. Accepted pages are scanned at the central processor and delivered to the inmate's secure tablet when available. No tablet? The unit provides black-and-white printed copies instead. Some items follow a different path: legal/privileged mail, verified publisher materials, and certain media mail can be handled directly by the facility under a separate process. To avoid delays, include your full return address, use standard paper sizes, and don't send prohibited items like cash, loose stamps, or contraband.

To add money for someone at Hobby Unit, you must be an approved sender—either on the inmate's Approved Visitation List or on the Inmate Telephone (Approved Phone) List (which can include a phone registered with Securus). Don't mail cash or personal checks for deposits. They aren't accepted and will be returned. Keep timing in mind: single transactions of $500 or more (and certain checks) are placed on a 14-day hold before the inmate can use the funds. For eCommDirect, purchases are limited to one per inmate per day. Quarterly caps are $70 for Jan–Mar, Apr–Jun, and Jul–Sep, and $95 for Oct–Dec. Orders typically arrive within five business days after TDCJ receives the transaction. Fees apply: $3.75 purchase fee, plus deposit fees of $2.50 plus 2.25%.