Linda Woodman Unit

TDCJ's designated diagnostic intake facility for women, on the Gatesville campus, housing both state-jail and prison populations.

Overview

The Linda Woodman Unit is where TDCJ runs diagnostic intake for women — the testing, examinations, and interviews that drive classification and unit assignment — along with substance abuse screening and assessment. It opened in 1997 as part of the Gatesville women’s campus, co-located with Crain, Hilltop, and Murray.

Its population is genuinely mixed: state-jail custody levels (J1, J2, J4) alongside lower prison custody levels (G1, G2) and women in transient status. TDCJ’s own publications use both labels for the unit — the unit directory currently lists it as a prison, while the visitation schedule labels it “Woodman SJ” and a TDCJ-posted audit report uses the name Linda Woodman State Jail — and TDCJ does not publish an explanation of the dual designation.

State Jail Sentences Work Differently

Because much of Woodman’s population is serving state-jail sentences, the differences from prison sentences matter to families here. Per TDCJ’s published definitions, family guide, and offender orientation handbook:

• State jail felonies (mainly property and low-level drug offenses) carry sentences of up to two years.
• Parole, mandatory supervision, and good conduct time do not apply to state-jail sentences. The one sentence-shortening mechanism is Diligent Participation Credit — up to 20 percent for participation in work, education, or treatment. For offenses on or after September 1, 2015, the sentencing judge can designate the credit as automatic; otherwise the judge decides whether to award it. No action by the family is needed in either case.
• TDCJ’s handbook states state-jail inmates are housed in the facility closest to their county of conviction that can accommodate their needs.
• On release, state-jail inmates receive a bus ticket but not the gate money that prison releases receive.

What Makes Linda Woodman Unit Different

• It carries TDCJ’s official designation as the “Diagnostic Intake Facility for female offenders” — the diagnostic half of women’s intake, with the co-located Crain Unit listed for offender intake/receiving. TDCJ does not publish how the two roles divide.
• State-jail visiting rules differ from prison rules: contact visits after 30 days (rather than 60), and visitor-list changes every 60 days (rather than every six months).
• Substance abuse screening and assessment operate here per TDCJ’s unit listing.
• Community work crews from Woodman serve city agencies, Habitat for Humanity, and Texas Parks and Wildlife.
• Volunteer programs include the Women’s Storybook Project and Girl Scouts Beyond Bars.

Visiting Hours and Procedures

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

Visit frequency at Woodman follows custody level: J1, J2, and G1 custody allow one contact visit per week, while G2 frequency is weekly or three visits per month depending on the person’s treatment-screening level, and restrictions tighten with disciplinary status. TDCJ does not publish how long women’s intake processing typically takes; the unit confirms visit eligibility by phone. Account setup and phone rates are covered in Phone & Video Calls.

Getting There and Parking

Woodman is on Coryell City Road (FM 929) north of downtown Gatesville, with TX-36 and US-84 connecting Gatesville to the interstate corridors.

TDCJ does not publish visitor parking details for the unit. There is no fixed-route bus: The HOP, the regional transit district’s service, runs in-town Gatesville microtransit on weekdays only — it does not operate on weekend visiting days — so the trip is by car.

Nearby Services

Gatesville is a small town with services along Main Street and the TX-36 corridor; hotel sites list a handful of in-town properties, including Days Inn by Wyndham and Comfort Inn & Suites. Waco, about an hour east, has the nearest large hotel and restaurant cluster.

Coryell Health on West Main Street in Gatesville operates the local hospital with a Level IV trauma center emergency room; the nearest comprehensive (Level I) trauma center is Baylor Scott & White in Temple, about 35 miles away.

For family questions TDCJ itself handles, the agency’s Office of Family Services is the published contact: (936) 437-6360. For support beyond the system, the Texas Incarcerated Families Association (TIFA) is a statewide nonprofit focused on education, advocacy, and prison-system navigation; 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
• Transfers — what happens after intake and during transfers
• Sending Money — how to add funds to a TDCJ trust account
• Phone & Video Calls — Securus accounts, call costs, video visits
• Mail & Packages — what you can send and what gets rejected
• Medical & Mental Health — healthcare in TDCJ facilities