How to deposit funds, commissary, and payment options
To fund an inmate account at McConnell Unit, you can mail money orders or cashier's checks, or deposit electronically through approved ACH providers like Access Corrections, ACE, eCommDirect, JPay, and TouchPay. Since September 1, 2020, only people on the inmate's Approved Visitor List or Inmate Telephone List can make deposits. Cash and personal checks aren't accepted—they'll be returned. Plan ahead: single transactions of $500.00 or more (and certain checks) may be held for 14 days before the inmate can access the funds. Don't mail trust fund deposits to the inmate's unit address or include personal mail with deposits. Trust Fund staff can confirm whether a deposit was received, but they won't share balances or transaction details with anyone except the inmate.
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Sending money to someone at McConnell Unit means going through TDCJ's Inmate Trust Fund—and the biggest surprise for most people is that not everyone can deposit. Here's how to know if you're eligible, which methods work, and what might slow things down.
Only people on the inmate’s Approved Visitor List or the Inmate Telephone List can deposit funds for that inmate. This rule has been in place since September 1, 2020.
You can mail a money order or cashier’s check, or use ACH and approved vendors such as Access Corrections, ACE, eCommDirect, JPay, and TouchPay (based on the facility’s listed options).
No. Cash and personal checks aren’t accepted and will be returned to the sender. Also don’t mail deposits to the inmate’s facility assignment address; use the Trust Fund deposit channels instead.
A quick check before you leave can save you a long drive and a cancelled visit. Run through this checklist before heading to McConnell Unit.
Sending mail to someone at McConnell Unit? The biggest mistake is sending the right item to the wrong place. Here's how to choose between the TDCJ Digital Mail Processing Center in Dallas and the unit itself—so your mail doesn't get held up.
To schedule a visit through the TDCJ Online Visitation Scheduler, you'll need to create your own visitor account. TDCJ staff can't do this for you—so if you're helping a parent, spouse, or friend visit McConnell Unit for the first time, each person needs to register with their own email address. Once your account exists, staff may be able to help with updates like names or addresses. But the initial setup? That's on you.
