Polunsky Unit Overview
Allan B. Polunsky Unit is operated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division. TDCJ lists the unit as a male state prison five miles southwest of Livingston on FM 350. It is separate from the Polk County Jail, even though both facilities are tied to Polk County custody questions. A person held pretrial in the county jail is searched through Citizen Connect. A person serving a Texas prison sentence at Polunsky is searched through the TDCJ locator.
TDCJ says Polunsky came online in November 1993 and has been ACA accredited since January 2003. The unit's published custody levels are G1 through G5, Death Row, Security Detention, and Mental Health. Those labels describe state prison classification, not county jail booking status. The research also records senior warden Bobby Rigsby, Region I director Michael Britt, deputy division director Lonnie "L.E." Townsend, and division director Eric Guerrero as the current leadership names captured from TDCJ.
The TDCJ Polunsky Unit directory is the official source for the unit address, capacity, custody levels, staffing, and programs.
The unit directory is the best source for facility facts, while the separate TDCJ inmate search is the custody lookup tool.
Polunsky Unit Capacity
TDCJ lists Allan B. Polunsky Unit capacity as 2,984. That number belongs to the state prison unit and should not be mixed into the Polk County Jail population figure. The county jail's capacity is reported to the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, while Polunsky's capacity appears in the TDCJ unit directory. Mixing those figures would make the Polk County inmate population look much larger than the county jail count actually is.
The unit sits on about 472 acres and TDCJ lists 554 total employees. The staffing count includes 388 security employees, 102 non-security employees, 12 Windham Education employees, and contract medical and mental-health positions listed through UTMB. Those details are useful because Polunsky is a full state prison operation with medical, education, work, faith, and reentry programs, not a short-term booking jail.
Search Polunsky Unit Inmates
Use the TDCJ Inmate Search for Allan B. Polunsky Unit. Do not use the Polk County Citizen Connect jail roster for a person already assigned to Polunsky as a sentenced state prisoner. TDCJ states that its website covers only inmates currently incarcerated in a TDCJ facility, is updated on working days only, and is at least 24 hours old. A very recent transfer can therefore require both the county transfer page and TDCJ confirmation.
The TDCJ inmate search form shows the state search fields used for current prison custody.
The form supports name, TDCJ number, and SID number searches, which helps when common names return too many results.
- Open the TDCJ Inmate Search, not the county jail roster.
- Search by TDCJ number or SID number if either is known.
- For a name search, enter the last name and at least the first initial.
- Use gender and race filters only when they are known and accurate.
- Confirm the assigned unit, status, and update date before planning a visit.
| Search Field | Use | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Last Name | Name search | Exact last-name search; first initial also required for name search |
| First Name | Name search | At least first initial required |
| TDCJ Number | Direct prison search | Best when the state number is known |
| SID Number | State ID search | Useful across Texas criminal justice records |
| Gender and Race | Optional filters | Use only to narrow a known identity |
Polunsky Unit Contact
Use TDCJ unit contact information for facility questions, mail routing, visitation status, and state prison custody confirmation. The Polk County Sheriff's Office does not control Polunsky Unit visitation or state prison classification. If a Polk County defendant was just sentenced, the county's TDCJ transfer page explains that sentenced inmates move from the sheriff's custody after TDCJ notification. Until that move occurs, the jail may still be the correct contact.
Allan B. Polunsky Unit
3872 FM 350 South
Livingston, TX 77351
936-967-8082
TDCJ Correctional Institutions Division facility
TDCJ Information Lines
Main information: 936-437-8035
Release information: 800-535-0283
Huntsville parole office: 936-295-5217
Numbers published in Polk County TDCJ-transfer guidance
Polunsky Unit Visits
Polunsky visitation follows TDCJ statewide visitation rules. The key step is approval. Visitors should confirm that the inmate is assigned to Polunsky, confirm approved visitor status, check the current unit schedule, verify the visit has not been canceled, and bring photo identification. TDCJ rules also warn that visitors and vehicles may be searched, cell phones are not allowed inside the secure perimeter, and cash is limited to coins up to $35.
The TDCJ visitation page provides the statewide pre-travel checklist and visitor rules.
Because TDCJ can cancel or limit visits, the unit schedule should be checked close to the travel date.
| Visit Step | Rule | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Assigned unit | Confirm the inmate is at Polunsky | Transfers can change the correct unit |
| Visitor approval | Verify approved visitor status | Unapproved visitors may be turned away |
| Schedule | Confirm unit visit date and cancellation status | Schedules can change by unit condition |
| Identification | Bring photo ID | Required for entry |
| Property | No cell phones in the secure perimeter | Search rules are strict at prison units |
Polunsky Unit Mail
The Polk County research file did not capture a Polunsky-specific money vendor or mail format from the TDCJ unit directory. Use current TDCJ statewide instructions for mail, e-messaging, deposits, and property because those rules can vary and can change by policy. The important local distinction is that county jail mail-scanning rules do not govern mail to a state prison inmate at Polunsky. Mailing county-jail correspondence to a state prison address, or state-prison mail to the county scanning address, can delay or block delivery.
| Service | Correct Source |
|---|---|
| State prison mail | Current TDCJ offender correspondence instructions |
| Money deposits | Current TDCJ deposit instructions, not Polk jail commissary |
| Phone or messaging | Current TDCJ communications rules |
| County jail mail | Only for inmates still in Polk County Jail custody |
Polunsky Unit Intake
Polunsky Unit does not perform street-arrest booking for Polk County cases. A person first enters the local criminal process through arrest, jail booking, magistrate warnings, bond decisions, and court prosecution. After conviction and sentence to TDCJ, the transfer path changes from county custody to state prison custody. Polk County's TDCJ transfer page says sentenced inmates are transferred upon notification by TDCJ, and it also mentions state jail, boot camp, SAFPF, ISF, and other state-program transfers.
Once the person is in state custody, TDCJ classification, medical screening, housing, work, and program assignment replace county jail booking status. A detainer, parole matter, or pending local case can still affect custody. For parole violators in sheriff custody, Polk County says the jail works with Texas Parole for hearings or release. For sentenced state prisoners at Polunsky, TDCJ is the record system.
About Polunsky Unit
Polunsky has a broader program and medical profile than a county jail. The TDCJ directory lists 24-hour medical care, ambulatory medical, dental, and mental-health services, a 17-bed infirmary, 13 assisted-living beds, two respiratory isolation rooms, two mental-health observation rooms, geriatric facility designation, chronic care clinics, telemedicine, and Digital Medical Services. UTMB is listed for contract medical and mental-health support.
Programs captured in the research include Adult Basic Education and GED, CHANGES pre-release, cognitive intervention, vocational trades, automotive specialization, electrical trades, HVAC and refrigeration, mill and cabinetmaking, a faith-based dormitory, peer education, reentry planning, chaplaincy, Crime Stoppers, GO KIDS, work projects, job skills, substance abuse education, life skills, parent training, support groups, mentoring, and religious activities.
Note: Confirm state prison custody, visitor approval, and unit schedule with TDCJ before traveling to Polunsky.