G2-G3, Security Detention, Outside Trusty · State Prison · TDCJ

Louis C. Powledge Unit

Palestine, Anderson County, Texas

Visiting schedules change without notice. Always call before traveling.

Call Visiting Office: (903) 723-5074 Info last verified: June 2026

The Tennessee Colony cluster's geriatric and medical unit, west of Palestine — originally named Beto II, which still causes confusion with the neighboring Beto Unit.

Statewide rules that apply at every TDCJ unit

These rules are set by TDCJ and apply at every unit. The full list — including all permitted and prohibited items and the approval process — is in Visiting in Texas.

Dress code

Tight-fitting, revealing, or see-through clothing is not allowed.
Sleeveless shirts and dresses are allowed only if the shoulders stay covered.
Shorts and skirts must be no shorter than three inches above the middle of the knee while standing.
Clothing with profane or offensive images or language is not allowed.
Visitors may not wear all-white clothing (incarcerated people wear white). Sandals and open-toe shoes are allowed.

ID: Each adult visitor (18 or older) must present a current government-issued photo ID, and at least one ID document must show a current physical address.
What to bring: No cell phones, smartwatches, cameras, other electronics, tobacco, paper money, food, or outside drinks. A small clear bag or change purse and up to $35 in coins for vending machines are allowed.
Scheduling: Visits are booked through the TDCJ Online Visitation Portal, at least one and no more than seven days ahead. One visit per weekend is standard.

Full statewide rules: Visiting in Texas

Overview

The Louis C. Powledge Unit is the smallest and most medically oriented of the five TDCJ facilities sharing the 20,528-acre Tennessee Colony cluster with Coffield, Michael, Beto, and the Gurney Transfer Facility. TDCJ designates it a Type I Geriatric Facility: 57 wheelchair-accommodated cells, a 14-bed infirmary, a chronic care clinic, all services on a single level with accessible showers, and medical care available around the clock, managed by UTMB. Men with age- or mobility-related needs are housed here for those services.

One naming trap: the unit opened in July 1982 as the Beto II Unit and was renamed for Louis C. Powledge in 1995 per published accounts — which is why its TDCJ unit code is still “B2” and why it is sometimes confused with the neighboring George Beto Unit, a different prison in the same cluster. The inmate locator shows the exact assigned unit.

What Makes Louis C. Powledge Unit Different

The geriatric designation is the headline: it is the cluster’s unit for older men and men with chronic medical needs, with the accessible plant and 24/7 care described above.
It houses only lower custody levels (G2 and G3, plus security detention and outside trusty) — no close-custody population, unlike its big neighbors.
At 816 beds it is a fraction of the size of Coffield (4,139), Beto (3,471), or Michael (3,305), with a correspondingly smaller visiting operation.
Its work operations are agricultural at scale: a feed mill and grain storage, pork processing plant, poultry and cattle operations, and field crops run jointly with the other four cluster units, plus a metal fabrication plant.
Vocational programs include auto body and welding through Trinity Valley Community College.

Visiting Hours and Procedures

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

TDCJ does not publish whether the unit’s geriatric mission comes with specific accessible-visitation accommodations — families of visitors who need them can ask when confirming the visit at (903) 723-5074. TDCJ’s standard limits apply: normally one visit per weekly cycle, two-hour regular visits, two adults per visit with children 17 and under not counted, and extended visits of up to four hours may be granted at the warden’s discretion for visitors traveling more than 250 miles one way. Account setup and phone rates are covered in Phone & Video Calls.

Getting There and Parking

Unlike its Tennessee Colony neighbors, Powledge is reached from the Palestine side: seven miles west of town, off FM 645 on FM 3452. It is the only cluster unit with a Palestine phone exchange, and the only one TDCJ describes relative to Palestine rather than Tennessee Colony.

TDCJ does not publish visitor parking details for the unit. There is no fixed-route bus to the unit. GoBus, the transit program of the East Texas Council of Governments, runs shared-ride, advance-reservation service across Anderson County on weekdays only — not on the weekend visiting days — so the trip is by car.

Nearby Services

Palestine is the service hub: gas, food, groceries, and lodging cluster there before the rural approach. Hotel sites list chain properties in Palestine, including Hampton Inn & Suites and Holiday Inn Express. Palestine Regional Medical Center on South Loop 256 operates a 24-hour emergency room, and a CHRISTUS emergency room also operates in Palestine.

For support beyond the unit itself, the Texas Incarcerated Families Association (TIFA) is a statewide nonprofit focused on education, advocacy, and prison-system navigation for families; its helpline is (512) 371-0900.

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
Medical & Mental Health — healthcare in TDCJ facilities
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
Transfers — what happens during transfers

Sources

This page is compiled from the following publicly available sources. Policies change without notice — confirm current details with the facility before relying on them.