Ferguson Unit

A large TDCJ prison in Midway, in East Texas between Huntsville and Madisonville.

Overview

The Ferguson Unit is a large men’s TDCJ prison in Midway, in Madison County. TDCJ lists it at about 2,417 beds. It sits in East Texas between Huntsville and Madisonville, roughly twenty miles north of Huntsville.

Two facts shape almost everything about visiting here: the unit’s size and its rural location.

What Makes Ferguson Unit Different

• A large East-Texas prison — TDCJ lists it at about 2,417 beds
• Located north of Huntsville in Madison County, between Huntsville and Madisonville
• Houses a broad G1-G5 custody mix, so the visiting format follows the incarcerated person’s classification rather than one unit-wide rule
• Reached by farm-to-market roads off the highway, with services thinning out over the last stretch

Visiting Hours and Procedures

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

Ferguson’s custody mix is the main reason one posted schedule does not mean one visiting experience. General-population housing typically uses standard contact visiting, while more restrictive housing can mean different room assignments or non-contact procedures on the same weekend. The format follows the incarcerated person’s classification, so two families arriving the same morning may have different experiences.

The unit’s size is the other variable. With about 2,417 beds, moving people from housing to the visiting area takes time, so the same posted hours can produce a wait between check-in and the start of a visit.

Getting There and Parking

Ferguson is in a rural section of Madison County. The drive finishes on farm-to-market roads, and services thin out over the last stretch.

There is no fixed-route bus to the unit, so the trip is by car.

The nearest hospitals and 24-hour emergency rooms are in Huntsville and Madisonville, not near the unit. Huntsville Memorial Hospital in Huntsville operates a 24-hour emergency room, and Madison St. Joseph Health Center in Madisonville also operates an emergency room.

Phones, Mail, and Video

Contact has a sequence to it. A phone number must be on the incarcerated person’s approved contact list before calls can connect, and after intake or a transfer that approval can take time to process. Calls are placed by the incarcerated person on TDCJ’s Securus phone system; a prison cannot be called into. Account setup, rates, and video options are covered in Phone & Video Calls.

Nearby Services

Midway is small, with limited commercial services. Huntsville and Madisonville are the nearest service centers for gas, food, groceries, and lodging. Options thin out significantly on the final farm-to-market approach to the unit. Hotel sites list chain properties in Huntsville and Madisonville, including options along the I-45 corridor.

For support beyond the unit itself, the Texas Inmate Families Association is a statewide nonprofit focused on education, advocacy, and prison-system navigation resources for families with someone in TDCJ custody.

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