J. Dale Wainwright Unit Overview
J. Dale Wainwright Unit is a state prison operated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in Lovelady. TDCJ identifies it as Wainwright Unit, code EA, within the Correctional Institutions Division. The unit is physically in Houston County, but it is a state facility for sentenced prisoners, not a local booking facility for newly arrested people. That distinction controls the entire search process: use TDCJ for Wainwright, and use the county inmate list only for people still held at Houston County Jail.
The TDCJ unit profile lists Wainwright as a male prison with custody levels G1 through G4, Security Detention, and Transient status. It also states that the unit is thirteen miles west of Trinity on FM 230 in Houston County. The inspected profile named Ariel Burks as Senior Warden, Michael Britt as Region I Regional Director, Lonnie "L.E." Townsend as Deputy Division Director, and Eric Guerrero as Division Director. The facility has been ACA accredited since January 1999 and has an on-line or establishment date of April 1917.
J. Dale Wainwright Unit Capacity and Custody
TDCJ lists Wainwright Unit with a capacity of 2,464. That figure is a state-prison capacity from the official unit profile, not part of the 144-bed Houston County Jail capacity reported by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards. The research did not capture a current daily population count for Wainwright, so the page should use capacity as the sourced number and avoid inventing current occupancy.
The official facility facts also list Security Detention and Transient as custody categories housed at the unit. TDCJ reports approximately 12,789 acres for Wainwright and identifies employee counts including security, non-security, Windham Education, and contract medical or mental-health staff. These figures describe the state prison operation. They should not be mixed with the county jail roster, county bond amounts, or TCJS county jail population reports.
How to Look Up an Inmate at J. Dale Wainwright Unit
Use the official TDCJ Inmate Search for Wainwright Unit. TDCJ's statewide locator is the correct system for sentenced Texas prisoners. It is separate from the Houston County current-inmate roster and does not function like a county booking card. TDCJ's inmate information page says location and general information may be obtained online, by email, or by telephone, and the online search can provide location, offenses, and projected release date information.
- Open the TDCJ statewide inmate search, not the Houston County Inmate List.
- Search by last name and first name, or use the TDCJ number or SID number if known.
- Use gender or race fields only as narrowing tools when needed.
- Confirm that the result lists Wainwright Unit or the expected TDCJ location.
- If the person is not listed, consider whether they remain in county custody, are in federal custody, or have not yet transferred into TDCJ.
| TDCJ Search Field | Use | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Last Name | Name search | One or more search fields are required. |
| First Name | Name narrowing | Useful when the surname is common. |
| TDCJ Number | Direct state-prison identifier search | Best when correspondence or court paperwork has the number. |
| SID Number | State identification search | Another direct identifier when available. |
| Gender / Race | Filter fields | Use to narrow results, not as the only search basis. |
The manifest includes a matched TDCJ search screenshot from the statewide locator used for Wainwright prisoners: TDCJ Inmate Search.
Use this state locator when the question is about a sentenced prisoner at Wainwright or another TDCJ unit, rather than a current Houston County jail booking.
J. Dale Wainwright Unit Address and Contact
TDCJ publishes the Wainwright Unit address and main phone number in the unit directory. Use the unit contact for facility-specific questions and TDCJ inmate-information channels for prisoner-location questions. The unit profile also names Deborah Phillips as Family Liaison Coordinator in the inspected source, which may help families identify the proper TDCJ route for policy or communication questions.
J. Dale Wainwright Unit
2665 Jovian Motley Boulevard
Lovelady, TX 75851
936-636-7321
TDCJ code: EA / 009
Agency
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Correctional Institutions Division - Prison
Region I
Sentenced male prisoners
Visiting Someone at J. Dale Wainwright Unit
Wainwright is a state prison, so visitation follows TDCJ rules rather than county jail practice. The research captured unit identity, address, custody levels, and programs, but it did not capture a Wainwright-specific visiting schedule in the provided source material. Visitors should confirm current TDCJ approval, scheduling, identification, dress, and unit-entry rules through TDCJ before traveling to Lovelady. Do not use a county jail visiting assumption for a TDCJ prison visit.
| Topic | State-Prison Rule | Practical Step |
|---|---|---|
| Visitor approval | TDCJ rules apply | Confirm approval before planning a trip. |
| Schedule | No Wainwright schedule captured in the provided research | Verify with TDCJ or the unit. |
| Location | 2665 Jovian Motley Boulevard, Lovelady | Confirm entry instructions before arrival. |
| Custody restrictions | G1-G4, Security Detention, and Transient statuses may affect access | Check the prisoner's current status through TDCJ. |
Mail, Phone, and Digital Mail at J. Dale Wainwright Unit
TDCJ digital mail rules apply to sentenced prisoners at Wainwright. The official digital-mail page says personal mail, greeting cards, and photos route to the Digital Mail Processing Center, addressed to Texas Department of Criminal Justice, the inmate's full first and last name plus TDCJ number, PO Box 660400, Dallas, TX 75266-0400. Legal mail and special mail follow separate TDCJ routing and should not be sent to the digital processing center unless TDCJ's rules specifically direct it there.
| Service | Provider / Detail |
|---|---|
| Personal mail | Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Inmate's full first and last name plus TDCJ number, PO Box 660400, Dallas, TX 75266-0400 |
| Legal / special mail | Route under TDCJ legal and special mail rules, not ordinary digital mail assumptions. |
| Digital mail questions | The captured TDCJ digital-mail source refers users to Securus Customer Service at 800-844-6591 for digital-mail questions. |
| Money / commissary | No Wainwright-specific deposit fee table was captured in the assigned research. |
The matched manifest screenshot for TDCJ digital mail comes from the official digital-mail page: TDCJ Digital Mail.
The TDCJ number is important for Wainwright mail because the digital-mail address format uses it to route correspondence to the correct sentenced prisoner.
Reception, Classification, and Transfer to Wainwright
Wainwright does not perform ordinary street-arrest booking for Houston County. A person who is newly arrested in Crockett, Lovelady, Grapeland, or elsewhere in the county normally enters local custody first if booked locally. After court action and sentencing, a person may transfer into TDCJ custody and later be assigned to a unit such as Wainwright. At that point, the public lookup record changes from a county booking card to a state prison record.
That is why a name may disappear from the Houston County current-inmate list without appearing immediately in a family member's expected place. Transfers, intake processing, classification, and unit assignment can create gaps between local jail custody and final TDCJ location. The correct follow-up is to search TDCJ by name, TDCJ number, or SID number, then confirm whether Wainwright is the listed unit. The Houston County roster will not show someone simply because Wainwright is physically inside Houston County.
Programs and Operations at J. Dale Wainwright Unit
TDCJ publishes more program detail for Wainwright than Houston County publishes for the county jail. The official unit profile lists agricultural operations including cow/calf and heifer development, egg laying, farm shop, feed mill and grain storage, edible and field crops, security horses, security pack canines, and swine operations. Manufacturing and logistics include a garment factory.
Education and reentry programming listed for Wainwright includes Literacy, Adult Basic Education, GED, CHANGES/Pre-Release, Cognitive Intervention, automotive specialization focused on engine performance, painting and decorating, Lee College academic programming, Lee College vocational food service, and advanced food service preparation. Additional services include a Faith-Based Dormitory, Adult Education Program when available, Peer Education, Reentry Planning, Chaplaincy Services, Crime Stoppers, GO KIDS Initiative, and volunteer initiatives. Medical capabilities include ambulatory medical, dental, mental-health services, Digital Medical Services, electronic specialty clinics, and CPAP accommodating housing managed by UTMB.
The Wainwright-specific image in the manifest comes from the official TDCJ unit profile: J. Dale Wainwright Unit.
The unit profile is the right source for Wainwright's state-prison facts, including capacity, custody levels, employee counts, programs, medical capabilities, and accreditation.
About J. Dale Wainwright Unit
J. Dale Wainwright Unit is one of two detention facilities that matter for Houston County inmate-population research, but its role is different from the county jail. Houston County Jail covers local pretrial and short-term county custody. Wainwright covers sentenced male prisoners assigned to the state system. Its records, mail, and program information come from TDCJ, and its population should be understood as a state-prison population inside the county rather than a county jail count.
The official TDCJ page provides several facility facts that help identify the unit correctly: unit full name J. Dale Wainwright Unit, Correctional Institutions Division prison, Lovelady location, male inmate gender, 2,464 capacity, G1-G4 custody levels, Security Detention, Transient, ACA accreditation since January 1999, and an establishment or on-line date of April 1917. Those details should be used instead of county jail terms such as booking number, bond amount, local housing block, or current-inmate roster when writing about Wainwright.
Note: Confirm location, visitation eligibility, mail routing, and current unit rules with TDCJ before travel or correspondence.
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