Johnston Unit, TX

Before you travel to Johnston Unit, call ahead to confirm the inmate is assigned there and has visitation privileges. All visitors 18 and older need a current government-issued photo ID—at least one must show a current physical address (certified victims of family violence have exceptions). Schedule visits through your own TDCJ Online Visitation Scheduler account. After entering your email, watch for a 7-digit validation code and link to finish registration. Enter phone numbers as "XXX XXX XXXX" and use the inmate's 8-digit TDCJ or SID number to add them. If privileges are removed, the scheduler shows "Not Approved for Visits." Leave cash at home—coins only, up to $35—and keep your cell phone outside the secure perimeter. Removed from a Visitors List? You can appeal in writing within 14 days.

To receive phone calls from a Johnston Unit inmate, register your number through Friends & Family enrollment and have the inmate's TDCJ ID ready. All calls are monitored and recorded—except calls to the attorney of record. Remote Securus video visits (where available) run 60 minutes, cost $10.00, and inmates are limited to one per month. E-messaging works through JPay: buy electronic stamps, messages get screened, then delivered to the inmate's tablet. Tablets also offer informational, educational, and recreational apps, though some recreational options require vendor fees or subscriptions. Having trouble with a vendor? Submit complaints through the ITS Contact Form or contact the Inmate Technology Services Contract Manager.

Most incoming personal mail for Johnston Unit goes through TDCJ's Digital Mail Processing Center. Letters are scanned and uploaded to the inmate's tablet—no paper delivery. Send personal mail to: Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Inmate's Full First and Last Name + TDCJ Number, PO Box 660400, Dallas, TX 75266-0400. Some mail bypasses the digital processor and goes directly to the unit: legal/privileged mail, media mail, and books/magazines/packages from verified publishers. Always include the inmate's full name, TDCJ number, and correct address on any envelope. Inmate-to-inmate correspondence counts as general correspondence—it can be inspected and rejected. The unit Records Office may request documents like a birth certificate to verify family relationships.

Johnston Unit only accepts trust fund deposits from people on an inmate's Approved Visitation List or Inmate Telephone List—this rule took effect September 1, 2020. Mailing a deposit? Use a money order or cashier's check and include a deposit slip (the inmate can provide one). Cash and personal checks aren't accepted and will be returned. Don't send deposits or personal mail to PO Box 60 or the Inmate Trust Fund PO Box—follow the facility's specified deposit instructions. Single deposits of $500.00 or more, plus certain checks and disbursements, are held 14 days before the inmate can access funds. For spending, the commissary posts a price list. Items marked "E" are sold through eCommDirect, though not everything is available online.