Cotulla Unit Inmate Search

Cotulla Unit Overview

Cotulla Unit is a Correctional Institutions Division prison operated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. TDCJ lists the unit at 610 FM 624, less than one mile east of Cotulla in LaSalle County. The official unit profile identifies Senior Warden Cedric Washington, Region IV Regional Director Angela Chevalier, Deputy Division Director Lonnie "L.E." Townsend, and Division Director Eric Guerrero. Those leadership names are operational details from the TDCJ profile and can change as TDCJ updates assignments.

The facility is a state prison for male inmates in G1, G2, and Transient custody levels. It is not a booking jail for new arrests. Someone arrested by a local agency in La Salle County may be held first at La Salle County Jail. Cotulla Unit becomes relevant after conviction, sentencing, transfer paperwork, and placement in TDCJ custody, or when a TDCJ inmate is housed there in transient status.

The official TDCJ Cotulla Unit image below comes from the unit directory page at tdcj.texas.gov/unit_directory/n4.html.

Cotulla Unit Capacity and Custody Levels

TDCJ lists Cotulla Unit with a capacity of 606. The unit profile describes the population as male and the custody levels as G1, G2, and Transient. The same profile says the unit came online in July 1992 and has been ACA accredited since January 2009. Unlike TCJS county jail workbooks, the TDCJ unit page gives facility capacity and classification information, not a daily public roster count.

How to Look Up an Inmate at Cotulla Unit

Use the TDCJ Inmate Search for people held at Cotulla Unit. TDCJ's inmate information page says location and general information may be obtained online, by email, or by telephone, and that the online search provides location, offenses, and projected release date. The direct search page was intermittently unavailable during research, but it remains the official locator URL.

1. Open the TDCJ statewide inmate search, not the La Salle County iSOMS jail roster.
2. Search by last name and first name, or use a TDCJ number or SID number when available.
3. Check the profile location and confirm it says Cotulla Unit or the correct TDCJ unit.
4. Review offense, sentence, projected release, and parole-related information as shown by TDCJ.
5. If the person was recently sentenced, also check La Salle County Jail because a paper-ready inmate may still be waiting for transfer.

VINELink can be used as a notification channel when available, but it should not replace TDCJ confirmation. TDCJ, county jail, court, and ICE records update on different timelines, especially during transfer or parole-hold periods.

Cotulla Unit Address and Contact

Use the unit phone for prison-specific routing such as facility confirmation, visitation direction, and unit mail questions. Court filings, county jail booking sheets, and local bond records do not come from the prison. Those records route to the county jail, clerk, prosecutor, or public-information channels.

Visiting Someone at Cotulla Unit

Cotulla Unit visits follow TDCJ statewide prison visitation rules. Prison visits generally require approval and scheduling through TDCJ processes, and the rules differ from county jail visiting. Before traveling, use TDCJ visitation information and confirm the inmate's current unit, eligibility, visit type, identification requirements, dress code, and whether any lockdown, transfer, or disciplinary status affects the visit.

Mail, Phone, and Money at Cotulla Unit

TDCJ mail and money rules are statewide. Mail should follow the TDCJ inmate mail rules and current digital mail routing. Commissary purchases and deposits may be available through TDCJ eCommDirect for eligible inmates and eligible items. Confirm eligibility before sending funds or making a purchase because restrictions can depend on inmate status, unit rules, disciplinary limits, and TDCJ policy updates.

Admission and Transfer at Cotulla Unit

Cotulla Unit does not perform county street-arrest booking. A person reaches TDCJ custody after court processing, sentencing, and transfer from a county jail or another TDCJ point. During the transition, a county jail record may use terms such as TDCJ paper ready or hold while the person is still physically in county custody. Once TDCJ receives and assigns the person, the statewide locator becomes the correct search tool.

Transient custody means the unit may be part of a movement or temporary housing path for some inmates. Because transfer timing can change, verify the current unit before scheduling a visit, sending mail, or using eCommDirect. Mail sent to the wrong unit can be delayed or returned under TDCJ rules.

Programs, Medical, and Conditions at Cotulla Unit

TDCJ's Cotulla Unit profile lists Literacy, Adult Basic Education, GED, CHANGES pre-release, Cognitive Intervention, a Faith-Based Dormitory, Adult Education Program when available, Chaplaincy Services, and the GO KIDS Initiative. It also lists community work projects for local organizations and volunteer initiatives covering substance-abuse education, support groups, life skills, and religious or faith-based studies and activities.

The unit profile identifies ambulatory medical and dental services managed by UTMB, a unit garden as the agricultural operation, unit maintenance as a facility operation, 99 total employees, 67 security employees, 22 non-security employees, 3 Windham Education employees, and 7 contract medical employees. No official research source located a recent Cotulla-specific consent decree, major reform announcement, or active construction project.

Those programs also explain why a Cotulla Unit record can contain details that a La Salle County Jail booking record does not. State prison records focus on sentence, unit assignment, release planning, custody level, and TDCJ program access. County jail records focus on arrest intake, bond, local holds, and short-term custody. A family member checking mail, visitation, or commissary should use the state prison rules once TDCJ shows Cotulla Unit as the location.