James Bradshaw Unit

Rusk County TDCJ men's unit near Henderson in East Texas, with a combined prison and Intermediate Sanction Facility mission and weekend visitation.

Overview

The James Bradshaw Unit is a TDCJ men’s facility near Henderson in Rusk County, East Texas. TDCJ lists it at about 1,828 beds and classifies it as a Prison and Intermediate Sanction Facility (ISF) housing G1-G2 custody men. It was operated by a private contractor as the Bradshaw State Jail until September 1, 2025, when TDCJ assumed direct operation.

Two facts shape visiting here: the unit’s recent transition to state operation and its dual prison/ISF mission, which means part of the population is held for short sanction stays and turns over quickly.

What Makes the Bradshaw Unit Different

• Operates under a combined mission — a general prison and an Intermediate Sanction Facility (ISF), which holds people on parole or community supervision for short sanction stays, so part of the population turns over quickly
• Became TDCJ state-operated on September 1, 2025, after the state assumed operation of the former Bradshaw State Jail; families used to the prior private-operator procedures should follow standard TDCJ rules and confirm current unit-specific details
• Houses G1-G2 custody men, so the visiting format follows the incarcerated person’s classification rather than one unit-wide rule
• One of the larger units in this group at about 1,828 beds

Visiting

The statewide rules above — approval, ID, prohibited items, and dress code — apply at the Bradshaw Unit. What follows is specific to this unit.

Visitors must be on the incarcerated person’s approved visitors list, and visits are scheduled in advance through the TDCJ Online Visitation Portal. Because the unit transitioned to state operation on September 1, 2025, posted schedules and procedures may still be settling — confirm the current day and time with the unit before traveling.

The ISF side of the unit’s mission is the reason housing assignments can change quickly. People held for short sanction stays may not remain at the unit long, so confirming the incarcerated person’s current location on the TDCJ inmate locator before a trip matters more here than at a unit with a stable population.

Getting There and Parking

The Bradshaw Unit is in Rusk County, East Texas, about one mile north of Henderson on West Loop 571. The trip is by private vehicle.

Henderson sits in Rusk County, which is also home to the private East Texas Multi-Use Facility, and the Billy Moore Unit is in Overton in the same county. The names and locations are easy to confuse, so the TDCJ inmate locator shows the exact unit a person is assigned to — a different unit is a different drive and a different visitation list.

Mail

Mail goes through TDCJ’s standard process. Each item must be addressed with the incarcerated person’s full name and TDCJ number along with the unit name and address. Rules on what can be sent, and the separate handling of publications and packages, are covered in Mail & Packages.

Learn More

For detailed information about visiting and communicating with someone at a Texas state prison:

• Visiting in Texas — TDCJ approval process, dress code, scheduling
• Mail & Packages — what you can send and what gets rejected
• Phone & Video Calls — Securus accounts, call costs, video visits
• Sending Money — how to add funds to a TDCJ trust account
• Medical & Mental Health — healthcare in TDCJ facilities
• Transfers — what happens during transfers