Goodman Unit

Small Jasper County TDCJ unit with an Intermediate Sanction Facility and substance-abuse mission, where assignments are often short and weekend visitation applies.

Overview

The Goodman Unit is one of TDCJ’s smaller facilities — TDCJ lists it at about 204 beds. It opened in July 1995 and sits in Jasper County near Jasper, in the East Texas Piney Woods region. TDCJ classifies it as a prison with an Intermediate Sanction Facility (ISF) role, and it carries G1, G2, and substance-abuse custody.

Two facts shape almost everything about visiting here: the unit’s small size and its program-and-sanction mission, which means many assignments are short.

What Makes the Goodman Unit Different

• Includes an Intermediate Sanction Facility (ISF), a sanction setting where people are often held for a defined period rather than a long-term assignment, so the population turns over and the TDCJ inmate locator should be checked before any trip
• Carries a substance-abuse and cognitive-intervention mission, with program-tied housing alongside general-population custody
• Operates a faith-based dorm and the GO KIDS family-and-children program
• A small unit at about 204 beds, so the visiting format follows the incarcerated person’s classification and program status rather than one unit-wide rule

Visiting Hours and Procedures

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

Goodman’s mix of custody and program housing is the main reason one posted schedule does not mean one visiting experience. General-population housing typically uses standard contact visiting, while ISF or substance-abuse program housing can mean different room assignments, non-contact procedures, or program-tied scheduling on the same weekend. The format follows the incarcerated person’s classification and program status, so two families arriving the same morning may have different experiences.

Because the ISF and program assignments are often short, the unit a person is held in can change between when a visit is planned and when it happens. Confirming the current unit on the TDCJ locator before traveling avoids a long drive to the wrong facility.

Getting There and Parking

Goodman is in a rural section of Jasper County in deep East Texas. The drive finishes on local and private roads, and services thin out over the last stretch.

A private vehicle is the practical way to reach the unit. Jasper is the nearest service center for gas, food, groceries, and lodging before the final approach, and options thin out on the rural roads near the facility.

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.

Mail is addressed to the incarcerated person by name and TDCJ number at the unit. What can be sent, and what gets rejected, is 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