Allan B. Polunsky Unit, TX Inmate Roster
Visitation Hours
- Sunday 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
- Monday Closed
- Tuesday Closed
- Wednesday Closed
- Thursday Closed
- Friday Closed
- Saturday 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
- Holiday Closed
Allan B. Polunsky Unit Basic Information
- Facility Name
- Allan B. Polunsky Unit
- Facility Type
- State Prison
- Authority
- Texas Department of Criminal Justice
- Address
- 3872 FM 350 South, Livingston, TX, 77351
- Phone
- 936-967-8082
- Capacity
- 2984
- Date Established
- 1993
- Employees
- 691
- Offender Gender
- Male Offenders
- City
- Livingston
- Postal Code
- 77351
- State
- Texas
- County
- Polk County
- Official Website
- Website
Established in November 1993, Allan B. Polunsky Unit is an ACA Accredited state prison in Polk County, Florida. It holds up to 2,984 problematic and dangerous male offenders. They include inmates on death row and those on administrative segregation due to violent or chronic misbehavior, making it a G1 – G5 security level prison.
Phone Number:
- (936) 967-8082 (**054)– General Inquiries
- (936) 295-6371, or (800) 535-0283 – General Inmate Locator Inquiries
- (844) 512-0461 – Parole Review Status
- (512) 406-5202 for Parole Release Status
- (936) 437-4927 or Toll-Free at (844) 476-1289– Visitation Inquiries
General Postal Mail: P.O. Box 2229, Blythe, CA 92226
Inmate Postal Mail: P.O. Box 2199, Blythe, CA 92226
Facts about Death Row Inmates at Polunsky Unit
The State of Texas authorizes the death penalty. In turn, the state has one of the highest death row populations and witnesses the highest number of executions nationwide. By December 31, 2013, there were 2,979 death row inmates in the state of Texas.
TDCJ moved death row to Polunsky Unit after it had been at the East Building of the Huntsville Unit (1928-1952), the East Wall of the Huntsville Unit (1952-1965), and the Ellis Unit (1965-1999). The death row offenders reside in single 60-square-foot cells that feature a window and a concrete door to await their execution date. These inmates do not participate in any inmate programs, have no TDCJ-ID numbers, and are forbidden from working. Instead, they use unique death row numbers, recreate individually, have a regular diet, and access reading, writing, and legal materials. Some less-risky death row inmates get to have a radio in their cells.
Execution of inmates was by hanging for the periods between 1819 and 1923. Then, in 1923, the state of Texas authorized the use of electric chairs. Charles Reynolds was the first death row inmate to be executed on the electric chair on February 8, 1924. Until 1973, there were 361 death row inmates executed in the State of Texas.
In 1977, after the revision of the Texas Penal Code, Texas adopted lethal injection as its mode of execution. It comprises a single drug protocol of Pentobarbital. Charlie Brooks became the first death row inmate to be executed via lethal injection in Texas. From 1996, the state of Texas allowed close relatives and friends to witness the executions.
Facts about Inmates in Administrative Segregation at Polunsky Unit
Inmates who are deemed as safety risk to the prison staff or fellow inmates are held in long-term solitary confinement at the administrative segregation unit. TDCJ is notorious for having the highest number of inmates under solitary confinement nationwide.
A report by the Association of State Correctional Administrators and the Arthur Liman Center for Public Interest Law at Yale University indicates that at least 1,300 Texas inmates were in solitary confinement for six years or longer. The longest stay in administrative segregation is 18 inmates who were in solitary confinement for 30 years. These inmates stay isolated from the rest of the inmates or prison staff for up to 22 hours a day.
For this, there have been outbursts by families, activists, and former inmates, calling for the abolishment of this system. They sight negative effects of solitary confinement such as delusional thinking, hallucinating, violent outbursts, and committing suicide. In response to these concerns, TDCJ has come up with several programs that aim at minimizing the number of inmates in administrative segregation. Such programs include: –
- Individualized Treatment Plan (ITP)
The Individualized Treatment Plan program focuses on the individual inmate’s needs, program availability, and applicable parole or discharge date. It is these parameters that determine when the inmate can participate in any program available at the prison. Hence, the ITP ranking forms the eligibility criteria for an inmate to participate in treatment programs that aim at reducing recidivism, improve the inmate’s knowledge and life skills, and enhance positive social interactions with other inmates.
- Administrative Segregation Pre-Release Program (ASPP)
Any inmate in administrative segregation with three months remaining before release from TDCJ has to undergo the ASPP program. It is a 90-day program that addresses the thought process, attitudes of inmates using cognitive-behavioral interventions. This approach aims at enhancing coping skills, assist an inmate in planning their reentry to the community, and explore the available opportunities for work and social interactions. Hence, a typical ASPP curriculum covers anger management, cultural diversity, substance abuse education, thinking errors, and self-help worksheets.
- Administrative Segregation Transition Program
The Administrative Segregation Transition Program runs for four months, aiming to facilitate a smooth transition of the inmates to the general population. Hence, it focuses on the inmate’s problem-solving skills, life, and coping skills, addressing dysfunctional thinking patterns, and building and maintaining healthy relationships.
- Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI)
SVORI is a seven-month pre-release program for male inmates in administrative segregation. It covers such topics as cognitive restructuring, substance abuse education, cultural diversity, life skills training, self-paced activities, and voluntary, faith-based courses.
- Gang Renouncement and Disassociation Process (GRAD)
The GRAD program is available to any inmate in administrative segregation who is considered a security threat group. Hence, the program aims at helping the inmate disassociate with gang membership and instead transition from the administrative segregation custody into the general population. GRAD runs in three phases for nine months. Upon completion, the inmates are assigned jobs and participate in other religious, academic, and volunteer programs.
- InnerChange Freedom Initiative (IFI)
Finally, IFI is a faith-based, 24-month pre-release program that guides the inmates on applying biblical values to daily life. Further, inmates get an additional six months of training after release, helping them integrate smoothly back into society.
Unit Inmates Database Search
Death Row Inmate Information
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) maintains an elaborate database for inmates on death row at its official website. Here, you will get the following details about the condemned offender:
- TDCJ number
- First and last names
- Date of birth
- Gender
- Race
- Date received
- County
- Date of offense
A link is available that gives access to the following additional offender information:
- Education level
- Age when received
- Age at the time of offense
- Hair color
- Height
- Weight
- Eye color
- Native county
- Native state
- Prior occupation
- Prior prison record
- Summary of incident
- Co-defendants
- Race and gender of victim
Apart from the individual death row inmate information, you can access:
- Gender and racial statistics for death row inmates here
- A list of executed offenders here
- Scheduled executions here
- Executions by year here
- Women on death row here
- Inmates no longer on death row here
Administrative Segregation & General Population Information
TDCJ maintains an elaborate database for all inmates on its official website. Here, anyone may trace the whereabouts of an inmate in the general population or under the administrative segregation unit by providing the following details at the offender information search query: –
- Inmate first and last names
- TDCJ number
- SID number
- Gender
- Race
The search results include the above parameters plus: –
- Projected release date
- Unit of assignment
- Age
- Maximum sentence date
- Parole eligibility date
- Offender visitation eligibility
- Offense history
- Scheduled release date, type, and location
Anyone with no access to the internet may call the prison administration on Mondays to Fridays between 8 am and 5 pm to inquire about the inmate. Call (936) 295-6371, or (800) 535-0283 for general inquiries, (844) 512-0461 to confirm parole review status, or (512) 406-5202 for parole release status.
Second, you may send an email to [email protected]., quoting the inmate’s full names and the 7-digit TDCJ number. The following inmate information is available by email:
- TDCJ number
- Current location
- Nature of offense
- Incarceration history
- Current incarceration
- Projected release date
Corresponding with an Inmate
TDCJ uses the Offender Telephone System to facilitate paid inmate phone calls to their friends and loved ones. This service is available on Mondays to Fridays between 8 am and 5 pm, with each call, limited to 30 minutes. Anyone wishing to receive a call from an inmate must register their landline for verification purposes. These are either collect or prepaid calls or calls chargeable to the Offender Telephone Prepaid Debit account. They are monitored and recorded for security purposes.
Second, you may send an e-mail to an inmate via JPay. To do so, sign up and create an email account. Then, pay for stamps to facilitate the correspondence.
Third, inmates are allowed incoming general, special, legal, and media correspondence. Hence, you may send a letter or a package to an inmate by addressing it as follows:
Inmate’s Full Names
TDCJ Number
Housing Number
Allan B. Polunsky Unit
3872 FM 350 South, Livingston, TX, 77351
Sending Money to an Inmate
All inmates at Polunsky Unit have access to a Commissary and Trust Fund account. The commissary account provides a convenient way to purchase items not provided by the prison administration. Likewise, the trust fund acts as safe custody for inmate funds, allowing them to have access to money during their confinement.
Inmate Visitation
TDCJ permits contact, extended, hardship, special, split, and general inmate visits as per the nature of their confinement. These are 2-hour visits on Saturdays and Sundays from 8 am to 5 pm. Inmates may have two adult visitors per visit. Children below 17 years are not counted but must be accompanied by a parent or a legal guardian. The visitors must be on the inmate’s approved member’s list.