How to send messages, photos, and packages
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.
Search for a loved one and send messages and photos in minutes.
Yes. All inmate telephone calls from Hobby Unit are subject to monitoring and recording, except calls to an attorney of record.
They can call home landlines and post-paid or pre-paid cell phones. Calls to internet services, 800 numbers, businesses, pay phones, or international numbers aren’t allowed.
Remote video visits are 60 minutes and cost $10. Inmates are limited to one remote video visit per month, and kiosk remote visits are also available once per month for up to 60 minutes.
Send letters to the TDCJ Digital Mail Processing Center using the Dallas PO Box provided, addressed with the inmate’s full name and TDCJ number. Make sure your full return address is on the envelope.
Accepted personal mail is scanned by the central processor and delivered to the inmate’s secure tablet when available. If the inmate doesn’t have a tablet, the facility provides black-and-white printed copies of the scanned mail.
Legal and privileged mail often follows a separate process and may be handled directly by the facility instead of going through the Dallas digital mail processor. Follow the facility’s instructions for legal mail because handling and inspection rules can differ.
Sending money or ordering commissary for someone at the Hobby Unit can be confusing—especially when TDCJ rules trip you up and cause delays. Here are the five questions families ask most, along with the rules that actually matter.
Getting on (and staying on) an inmate's Visitors List at Hobby Unit comes down to a few rules: the list has a hard size limit, changes only happen on a set timeline, and removals have a short appeal window. Here's how to handle each part.
Getting calls and remote video visits from Hobby Unit starts with phone registration. Here's how enrollment works, what you'll need, what to expect during calls, and how to schedule the $10 remote video visit option.
