Texas operates 17 correctional facilities that house female inmates, all run by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ). As of August 31, 2024, those female prisons in Texas held a combined population of about 10,663 women.1TDCJ. Statistical Report Fiscal Year 2024 The 17 units are a mixed set: some are large maximum-security prisons, others are state jails for shorter sentences, and a few are specialty facilities focused on medical, psychiatric, or mother-infant care.
The 17 TDCJ Facilities That House Women
These are the units housing female inmates as of the most recent TDCJ reporting period:2TDCJ. RPD Annual Report Female Programming 2024
- Coleman Unit
- Crain Unit
- East Texas Treatment Facility
- Halbert Unit
- Henley State Jail
- Hilltop Unit
- Hobby Unit
- Hospital Galveston
- Marlin Unit
- Mountain View Unit
- Murray Unit
- Plane State Jail
- Santa Maria Baby and Mother Bonding
- Scott Unit
- Skyview Unit
- Woodman State Jail
- Young Medical Facility
Calling all 17 “prisons” is loose shorthand. The count includes state jails, inpatient medical facilities, a psychiatric unit, a substance abuse treatment facility, and a residential mother-infant program.
Prisons, State Jails, and Specialty Units
TDCJ sorts these facilities by function and security level, and the category shapes who is held there and for how long.3Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Correctional Institutions Division
Prisons
Prisons hold women convicted of felonies carrying sentences of two years or more. These are the largest facilities and offer the widest range of rehabilitative programming. The Crain Unit, Hobby Unit, and Mountain View Unit are in this category.
State Jails
State jails house women convicted of state jail felonies, which carry sentences between 180 days and two years. The Henley State Jail, Plane State Jail, and Woodman State Jail serve this population. Because stays are shorter, state jail inmates can update their approved visitor lists every 60 days rather than every six months.4Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Inmate Rules and Regulations for Visitation
Medical and Specialty Facilities
Several units serve narrow purposes. Hospital Galveston and the Young Medical Facility provide inpatient medical and psychiatric care. The Skyview Unit houses women needing ongoing psychiatric treatment. The East Texas Treatment Facility operates as a substance abuse felony punishment facility. The Santa Maria Baby and Mother Bonding facility is unique in the system, allowing mothers who give birth during incarceration to live with their infants for up to 12 months.5Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Rehabilitation and Reentry Division – Baby and Mother Bonding Initiative
Where the Facilities Are
The geography of women’s incarceration in Texas is unusually concentrated. Five of the 17 female facilities sit in or just outside Gatesville, a city of around 16,000 in Coryell County: the Crain, Hilltop, Mountain View, Murray, and Woodman units. If you’re visiting an incarcerated woman in Texas, there’s a good chance you’re driving to Gatesville.
Christina Melton Crain Unit
The Crain Unit is the largest female prison in TDCJ, with a capacity of 1,440. It sits three miles north of Gatesville on Highway 36, on roughly 1,283 acres shared with the co-located Hilltop, Murray, and Woodman units.6Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Crain (GV) – Unit Directory
Mountain View Unit
Also in Gatesville, Mountain View houses general custody and security detention inmates and holds all female death row inmates in Texas. It is the only unit in the system where women serve capital sentences. The site originally opened in 1962 as a school for boys before TDCJ acquired it in 1975.7Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Mountain View Unit Renamed to Honor Former TBCJ Chairman
William P. Hobby Unit
The Hobby Unit in Marlin is the second-largest female facility, with a capacity of 1,384. It houses women across a range of custody levels and runs agricultural operations that include edible crops and a peach orchard.8Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Hobby (HB) – Unit Directory
Plane State Jail and Henley State Jail
Both sit in Dayton, east of Houston. Their proximity to the Houston metro area makes them more accessible for families in the state’s most populous region than the Gatesville cluster.
Finding Someone and Scheduling a Visit
To locate a woman in TDCJ custody, use the agency’s free online inmate search. You’ll need her last name and first initial, her TDCJ number, or her state identification (SID) number. Results appear only for people currently incarcerated in a TDCJ facility.9Texas Department of Criminal Justice. TDCJ Inmate Search
Visits happen on Saturdays and Sundays between 8:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. and last two hours. Schedule through the TDCJ online visitation portal or the warden’s office at least one day, but no more than seven days, before the visit. Each inmate keeps a visitor list of up to 10 people, and anyone not on that list will be turned away at the gate. No phones, cameras, food, cash, or electronics are allowed past the secure perimeter.4Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Inmate Rules and Regulations for Visitation