Allan B. Polunsky Unit

Polk County TDCJ prison that houses Texas men's death row and other high-security populations, with non-contact death row visitation.

Overview

The Allan B. Polunsky Unit is a high-security TDCJ prison near Livingston. TDCJ identifies the unit as the housing location for men on Texas death row, in addition to other restrictive and high-security populations.

That role makes Polunsky different from a standard general population unit. The prison’s visitation, internal movement, and communication patterns are shaped by death row operations and by the presence of incarcerated people in more restrictive housing settings.

What Makes Allan B. Polunsky Unit Different

• TDCJ says Polunsky houses Texas men’s death row, making it one of the system’s most specialized custody locations.
• Death row visits are non-contact. Visitors and incarcerated people remain separated by glass or another physical barrier and communicate through the unit’s non-contact setup.
• The unit also houses other high-security and restrictive-housing populations, so movement and escort procedures are tighter than at a standard weekend contact-visiting unit.
• Polunsky is part of Texas death penalty operations because condemned men are housed here while executions are carried out at the Huntsville Unit.

Visiting Hours and Procedures

TDCJ’s statewide weekend visitation structure applies to Polunsky’s general population, but death row visits are non-contact and follow a separate schedule on different days under TDCJ’s I-218 visitation rules, as shown below.

Death row visits remain non-contact from start to finish. The visitor and the incarcerated person do not share the same room, no physical contact occurs, and conversation takes place through the unit’s non-contact system. That format does not change because of travel distance or family relationship.

General population and other high-security housing at Polunsky still use TDCJ’s normal weekend approval and scheduling system, but restrictive placements can change whether a visit is contact, non-contact, shortened, or unavailable on a given day. The statewide rules above — approval, ID, prohibited items, and dress code — apply here, and the duty warden makes the final decision on entry. Full details are in Visiting in Texas.

Getting There and Parking

The Polunsky Unit is outside Livingston rather than on an interstate corridor, so most of the final approach is on local roads and farm-to-market roads.

Public transit in the area is demand-response rather than fixed-route. The Brazos Transit District serves Polk County, including Livingston, by curb-to-curb advance reservation and keeps a local office in Livingston; its fixed routes run in other cities, so no fixed-route bus reaches the unit. The FM 350 approach south of Livingston is by car.

Hospital and urgent care are in Livingston rather than near the unit. CHI St. Luke’s Health Memorial Livingston on the US-59 Loop operates a 24-hour emergency room and is designated a Level IV trauma center. Texas MedClinic Urgent Care on West Church Street is a walk-in option.

Phones, Mail, and Video

Polunsky uses Securus for phone service, and TDCJ lists Securus Video Connect where video visiting is available. Housing status matters more here than at many standard units because death row and other restrictive settings can limit when a person is available for calls or remote contact.

Mail and communication patterns can also reflect the unit’s security level. Delivery, access, and approval rules still follow statewide TDCJ policy, but restrictive-housing procedures can slow the timing of when communication reaches the incarcerated person.

Nearby Services

Livingston is the nearest full service center for fuel, food, groceries, and hotels. The retail strip in town has the broadest set of options before the final drive south toward the unit.

Services thin out on the FM-road approach away from Livingston. That is the practical difference between Polunsky and a prison in a larger city: the final segment is rural, and there is no dense commercial corridor around the prison entrance. Hotel sites list chain properties in Livingston, including La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Livingston and Holiday Inn Express & Suites Livingston.

For broader family 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