Prisons in Huntsville, Texas

Located in Walker County, Texas, United States, Huntsville is the center of a micropolitan area that is well-known as the “Prison Capital of Texas.” It is situated roughly 70 miles north of Houston and has a population of approximately 45,941 residents as of the 2020 census.

Known as the home of Texas State Prison, Huntsville has seven prison units, ranging from minimum to maximum security prisons. Prisons in Huntsville definitely represent a diversity of prison architecture and correctional programs under the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

Okay, let’s see the seven prisons in Huntsville and find out the information for each!

1. Huntsville Unit (HV)

Huntsville Unit, also known as “Walls Unit,” is one of the prisons located in Huntsville, Texas, United States that stands on approximately 54.36 acres (22.00 ha). Opened in 1849, this facility is operated under the Correctional Institutions Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

As the facility that houses the executive chamber in the State of Texas, Huntsville Unit is used as a place for inmates to spend their last days before they are finally executed. However, the death row inmates are not housed in this prison, but they are instead transported to the Huntsville Unit on the afternoon of their execution.

With a maximum capacity of 1,075 male inmates and a security level ranging from minimum G-1 to medium security level G-3, the Huntsville Unit houses offenders who are classified as temporary or stay for a short time. At this facility, the inmates can work various jobs, such as working in a textile factory, welding and machining, producing garments, and working in the mechanical department to provide mechanical repairs.

There are various programs available in the Huntsville Unit, including educational programs, vocational studies, and additional programs intended for inmates nearing their discharge dates. The facility also provides substance abuse treatment and sex offender education programs.

Visiting Hours

Inmates at the Huntsville Unit can be visited on Saturdays and Sundays, starting from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Each visit session can be held within two hours, with or without contact. You can only provide their Driver’s License to enter the facility. You can also prepare around twenty dollars in quarters contained in a clear Ziploc bag to use in the vending machines.

Physical Address

For those of you who visit your loved one in Huntsville Unit, you can reach:

Huntsville Unit
815 12th Street
Huntsville, TX 77348
Telephone: (936)-437-1555 (**013)

Mailing Address

If you want to send mail to an inmate housed at Huntsville Unit, you can post it to:

Inmate Name and ID Number

Huntsville Unit
815 12th Street
Huntsville, TX 77348

2. Ellis Unit (E1)

With a population of roughly 2,037 residents, Ellis Unit serves as a maximum-security prison in Huntsville, Texas, ranging from G-1 minimum security level to G-5 maximum security level. There is no doubt that Ellis Unit is known for its strict security measures and houses inmates with violent criminal histories or individuals who pose a high risk to public safety.

Ellis Unit was opened in July 1965 and stands on 11,427 acres. It is situated in a wooded area, making it ideal for the prison’s agricultural operations such as edible crops, cotton fields, hen egg laying, and raising cows and swine. In addition, it also operates a garment factory, a chair factory, and a bus repair facility. Of course, inmates at Ellis Unit can work in multiple positions.

Just like other correctional facilities, Ellis Unit also provides a variety of programs for inmates, such as academic programs that include adult basic education and GED instruction, vocational training that includes computer maintenance technician, horticulture, etc., and additional programs that include rehabilitation programs, substance abuse treatment, sex offender re-education, and life skills education.

Visiting Hours

You can visit your loved one at Ellis Unit on Saturdays and Sundays, starting from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The visits can be performed with or without contact. You can visit an inmate once per week for two hours per visit session. If you travel more than 300 miles, you can request a special visit by contacting the Overseer’s Office.

Physical Address

You can visit an inmate housed at Ellis Unit at:

Ellis Unit
1697 FM 980
Huntsville, TX 77343
Telephone: (936)-295-5756 (**010)

Mailing Address

If you want to send a mail to inmate at Ellis Unit, make sure to provide inmate’s full name and ID number, and send it to:

Inmate Name, ID Number

Ellis Unit
1697 FM 980
Huntsville, TX 77343

3. Estelle Unit (E2)

The W.J. “Jim ” Estelle Unit is known as Estelle Supermax Penitentiary that serves as a supermax prison with G1 minimum security and G5 maximum security. It is one of the correctional facilities located on Farm to Market Road 3478 in Huntsville, Texas. It was opened in 1984 and is operated under the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

The Estelle Unit specifically houses inmates with high levels of drug addiction. Its focus is to rehabilitate and provide a safe and secure environment for incarcerated individuals to recover from substance abuse. At this facility, they can also receive substance abuse treatment and participate in support groups such as Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous.

The facility also provides a geriatric facility where there are a large number of medical workers who provide medical treatment to all inmates, a high security unit, and a regional medical facility, as well as various programs such as educational programs, vocational training, and programs for substance abuse and physically handicapped inmates.

Visiting Hours

If you have a loved one housed at Estelle Unit, you can visit them on Saturdays and Sundays, starting from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. within two hours per session. If the inmate is in the expansion cell block, you can visit them on Mondays and Fridays by making an appointment first. You may be allowed contact or non-contact visits, depending on the inmate’s security status.

Physical Address

To visit your loved one at Estelle Unit, you can reach:

Estelle Unit
264 FM 3478
Huntsville, TX 77320-3320
Telephone: (936)-291-4200 (**032)

Mailing Address

To send them a mail, you can include inmate’s full name and ID number and send it to:

Inmate Name, ID Number

Estelle Unit
264 FM 3478
Huntsville, TX 77320-3320

4. Goree Unit (GR)

Located in Walker County, Huntsville, Texas, the Goree Unit houses 1,000 inmates in the main unit and approximately 321 offenders in the Trusty Camp. When it was opened in 1911, Goree Unit served as a female prison, but in 1982, after the female inmates were moved to state prisons in Gatesville, the facility transitioned to an all-male facility.

With detention levels ranging from G-1 minimum to G-3 moderately secure male offenders, the Goree Unit is responsible for the evaluation, classification, and acceptance of offenders from the surrounding environment. Most inmates are incarcerated in this facility for a short period of time. During that time, they will be assessed and moved to a more permanent location.

Agricultural programs, Sex Offender Treatment Programs, and dynamic risk assessment for male inmates are provided at Goree Unit. Inmates at Goree Unit also receive substance abuse treatment as well as medical and dental treatment.

Visiting Hours

Goree Unit can be visited on Saturdays and Sundays, starting from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. It’s important to note that only inmates who are undergoing diagnostic procedures and are eligible can accept visits. If they’re ineligible, they cannot do it.

You can only visit an inmate for two hours per session. Depending on the inmate’s status, the visits can be performed with or without contact. You’re also allowed to bring up to twenty dollars in quarters in a clear Ziploc bag to buy items from visiting room vending machines.

Physical Address

If an inmate is eligible, you can visit them at:

Goree Unit
7405 Hwy 75 South
Huntsville, TX 77344
Telephone: (936)-295-6331 (**012)

Mailing Address

You can also send a mail to your loved one to:

Inmate Name, ID Number

Goree Unit
7405 Hwy 75 South
Huntsville, TX 77344

5. Holliday Unit (NF)

The Holliday Unit, also known as the Holliday Transfer Facility, is a prison located along Interstate 45 and.5 miles north of Texas State Highway and co-located with the Wynne Unit on 1,396 acres of land. This facility has eleven buildings that consist of 36 open dormitories, 22 multiple occupancy cells, and 50 segregation cells.

Designed to house male offenders who are categorized as G-1, G-2, or transient, this facility serves to receive and process offenders who carry out substance abuse and various other judgments and determine which facility they will be placed permanently in.

Even though it functions as a transfer facility, the Holliday Unit also provides substance abuse education, support groups, life skills education, and religious-based studies. Inmates can also receive medical and mental health treatment, educational programs, and vocational training to be capable of operating agricultural tools, farming edible crops, laying hen eggs, taking care of pets, etc.

Visiting Hours

You can visit an inmate at Holliday Unit on Saturdays and Sundays, starting from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., within two hours per session. Contact or non-contact visits may be allowed, depending on the status of the inmate. To buy items from the vending machine, you may be allowed to bring a clear Ziploc bag with up to $20 in quarters.

Physical Address

If you want to visit an inmate, you can reach them at:

Holliday Transfer Facility
295 IH-45 North
Huntsville, TX 77320-8443
Telephone: (936)-295-8200 (**092)

Mailing Address

To send a mail to an inmate, you can include an inmate’s full name and ID number and sent it to:

Inmate Name, ID Number

Holliday Transfer Facility
295 IH-45 North
Huntsville, TX 77320-8443

6. Wynne Unit (WY)

Opened in 1883, Wynne Unit serves as a medium-custody prison that houses approximately 2,620 inmates with custody levels ranging from G1 to G4 maximum security. This facility shares land and is located at the intersection of Farm to Market Road 2821 West and Texas State Highway 75 North, making it share inmate operations with the Holliday Unit.

A box factory, a license plate factory, and a computer recovery factory are provided at Wynne Unit. In addition, it also provides agricultural operations that focus on breeding horses, laying eggs, and working in crop fields. Of course, the inmates at this facility can work in multiple fields.

Just like other prison units in Huntsville, Wynne Unit also offers various programs for inmates that are very useful for them to prepare themselves for re-entering society upon release. These programs include educational programs, vocational training, and rehabilitation programs for inmates who are suffering from drug and alcohol addiction.

Visiting Hours

You can visit inmates housed at Wynne Unit on Saturdays and Sundays, starting from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., within two hours per session. If you arrive at the facility after 3 p.m., you will not have a full two-hour visit.

If you travel more than 300 miles to visit an inmate, you’ll have a special visit for up to four hours, but you must first be approved by contacting the Warden’s Office. Depending on the status of the inmate, your visit can be contact or non-contact. You’re allowed to bring a Ziploc bag containing up to $20 in quarters to buy items from the vending machine.

Physical Address

You can visit an inmate at:

Wynne Unit
810 FM 2821
Huntsville, TX 77349
Telephone: (936)-295-9126

Mailing Address

You can send a mail to your loved one housed at Wynne Unit to:

Inmate Name, TDCJ ID Number

Wynne Unit
810 FM 2821
Huntsville, TX 7734

7. Byrd Unit (DU)

Operated under the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Byrd Unit is one of the prisons located in Huntsville, Texas, 1 mile north of Downtown Huntsville on Farm to Market Road 247. With a capacity of approximately 1,365, this facility houses male inmates of G1, G2, and temporary unclassified inmates.

Byrd Unit serves as a diagnostic and classification prison to intake and process male inmates who have been sentenced to death or life imprisonment without the possibility of parole to be sent to the destination facility. It is known that female death row inmates will be sent to Mountain View, and male death row inmates will go on to the Allan B. Polunsky Unit.

Since the inmates stay at Byrd Unit for a short period of time, the programs available at this facility are also limited, such as adult basic education, substance abuse treatment, chaplain services, and various support groups for inmates who are incarcerated for longer periods of time.

All inmates can receive medical care, mental health treatment, and dental treatment. For inmates who have a long-term stay at Byrd Unit, they can be involved in agricultural operations that include producing hay and caring for horses.

Visiting Hours

Inmates who are housed at Byrd Unit can be visited if they have been incarcerated at this facility for 30 days or more and have completed intake. If they have qualified to receive visits, you can visit them on Saturdays and Sundays, starting from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Physical Address

You can visit an inmate at:

Byrd Unit
21 FM 247
Huntsville, TX 77320
Telephone: (936)-295-5768 (**008)

Mailing Address

You can also send a mail to an inmate housed at Byrd Unit to:

Inmate Name, ID Number

Byrd Unit
21 FM 247
Huntsville, TX 77320