Create and Manage Your TDCJ Visitation Scheduler Account (for O'Daniel Unit visitors)
To request a visit at the O'Daniel Unit, you'll need your own TDCJ Online Visitation Scheduler account with a verified email and completed visitor profile. The process is straightforward once you know where people typically get stuck—email validation, the questionnaire, and adding the inmate correctly.
You have to create your own account in the TDCJ Online Visitation Scheduler - staff can't do it for you. Once your account exists, staff may be able to help update certain details, but the initial signup is entirely on you.
Warning: Choose an email address you plan to keep. Once your scheduler account is created, it can’t be deleted, and the email address on the account can’t be changed.
Start by entering a valid email address and submitting it. This triggers the system to send your registration email. Double-check for typos before you hit submit - one wrong character means the email goes nowhere.
- Submit your email address - this starts the account registration process.
- Open the registration email - it includes a 7-digit validation code and a link to finish setting up your account.
- Use the link or the code - follow the link from the email, or enter the 7-digit code when prompted.
- Complete registration - once the validation step is accepted, continue through the on-screen prompts to finish creating your account.
After setting your password, you'll land on the Background Questionnaire. Every single question must be answered. Leave anything blank and you'll get stuck - the system won't let you move forward until the form is complete.
Tip: Enter your phone number with spaces, like `XXX XXX XXXX`. Don’t use dashes - `XXX-XXX-XXXX` can cause the field to be rejected.
Follow the on-screen password requirements exactly. If the system rejects what you typed, you're probably missing a requirement or your confirmation entry doesn't match.
Forgot your password? Use the Forgot Password/Reset Password option on the scheduler. Enter the email tied to your account, and the system will send you reset instructions.
To add the person you want to visit, search using their TDCJ number or SID number. Enter exactly 8 digits - if the number is shorter, longer, or missing a leading zero, the search won't work.
Once you find the right person, select your relationship and submit the request. This Relationship Request goes to the inmate's unit, where TDCJ staff verify the connection before approving it in the system.
Troubleshooting Next Steps
- ✓ Confirm you’re logging in with the exact email you used when you created the account (the email on the account can’t be changed).
- ✓ Make sure you completed the Background Questionnaire - every question has to be answered before you can move forward.
- ✓ Double-check your profile details, especially the phone number format (`XXX XXX XXXX` with spaces).
- ✓ If you just added the inmate, remember your Relationship Request has to be verified by the inmate’s unit of assignment.
- ✓ If you still can’t request a visit after doing the above, contact the unit for help with what you’re seeing on screen.
Reminder: Your scheduler account is tied to your email address permanently - it can’t be deleted, and the email can’t be swapped later. Use an email you control and can access long-term.
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