Wayne Scott Unit

A TDCJ inpatient psychiatric facility for men at the Jester complex near Richmond, formerly the Beauford H. Jester IV Unit (renamed in 2021).

Overview

The Wayne Scott Unit is one of TDCJ’s inpatient psychiatric facilities for men, alongside the Skyview Unit and the John Montford Unit. It sits on the Beauford H. Jester Complex near Richmond in Fort Bend County and has about 550 inpatient mental-health beds. TDCJ established the unit in November 1993.

The unit provides ambulatory medical, dental, and inpatient mental-health services, with medical care available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

What Makes the Wayne Scott Unit Different

• The unit is one of three TDCJ inpatient psychiatric facilities for men, the others being Skyview and Montford.
• It provides inpatient mental-health treatment as well as ambulatory medical and dental services on a 24-hour basis.
• Because it is an inpatient psychiatric unit, a person may be placed there for treatment rather than as a long-term housing assignment, and could be moved when treatment needs change.
• The unit is on the Beauford H. Jester Complex, which holds several TDCJ units near Richmond.

Visiting Hours and Procedures

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

Weekend visiting uses TDCJ’s standard scheduling system, but inpatient psychiatric operations can affect whether a person is available for a visit on a given day.

Treatment status, housing status, and treatment movement can change visit eligibility at the Wayne Scott Unit more often than at a typical general population unit. A person may be unavailable for a scheduled visit because of treatment, psychiatric placement, or a transfer tied to mental-health needs.

Getting There and Parking

The unit is near Richmond in Fort Bend County, roughly 30 miles southwest of Houston, on the Beauford H. Jester Complex off Jester Road.

The Houston metro area surrounds the Richmond and Sugar Land area, so travel options into the region are broad, but the final approach to the Jester Complex is by car.

Phones, Mail, and Video

The Wayne Scott Unit uses Securus for phone service, and TDCJ lists Securus Video Connect where video visiting is available.

Because the unit is an inpatient psychiatric facility, communication patterns can be less predictable here than at a standard permanent-housing unit. Treatment status, psychiatric placement, or a move tied to mental-health needs can interrupt access to calls or remote contact, and mail may not follow the same pattern as a stable general population assignment.

Programs

TDCJ lists several programs at the Wayne Scott Unit, including special education; an Alvin Community College vocational program in food-service preparation; chaplaincy services; a faith-based dormitory; and the GO KIDS Initiative.

Nearby Services

The Richmond, Sugar Land, and broader Houston metro area has a full range of fuel, food, pharmacies, and hotel options, so most services are available within the surrounding region rather than at the unit entrance.

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