Barry B. Telford Unit Overview
Barry B. Telford Unit is operated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division. The unit is in New Boston, which places it inside Bowie County but outside the county jail system that appears on the sheriff-linked LockupLists roster. Its official role is state-prison custody for sentenced male prisoners. That distinction matters because Telford records are not booking records, and the Bowie County Detention Center or Bi-State Justice Center roster is not the correct lookup path once a person is in TDCJ custody.
The TDCJ Barry B. Telford Unit directory page lists the prison at 3899 State Highway 98, New Boston, TX 75570, with phone number 903-628-3171. TDCJ identifies the unit as a male facility with a capacity of 2,451 and custody levels G1 through G5, Security Detention, and Safekeeping. The directory also lists July 1995 as the unit's on-line date and describes a large state-prison campus rather than a short-term county booking center.
The TDCJ directory page for Barry B. Telford Unit is a matched source image in the project manifest.
Use that source for facility identity, capacity, custody-level, staffing, and program facts; use the TDCJ inmate-information tools for individual custody status.
Barry B. Telford Unit Capacity and Population
The sourced facility number for Telford is rated capacity, not a current headcount. The TDCJ Unit Directory lists capacity at 2,451. Research did not locate a current Telford-specific population count in the same way the Texas Commission on Jail Standards reports Bowie County jail population or the Bureau of Prisons reports FCI Texarkana population. For that reason, the stat block below separates the sourced capacity from the unsourced current-count question instead of treating the two as equivalent.
Do not compare this capacity directly to the Bowie County jail count. The June 1, 2026 TCJS jail figures describe the county jail system, while Telford is a statewide prison facility holding sentenced state prisoners.
How to Look Up an Inmate at Barry B. Telford Unit
For Barry B. Telford Unit, start with the TDCJ online inmate search, not the Bowie County inmate roster. The TDCJ inmate-information page says inmate 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. If a person was recently arrested in Bowie County, check the county roster first; if that person was sentenced and transferred, the TDCJ locator becomes the correct system.
- Open the TDCJ inmate search or begin at the TDCJ Inmate Information page if the search page is unavailable.
- Search with the person's name or any confirmed TDCJ identifying information you already have from court papers, family notices, or prior records.
- Confirm that the result shows Barry B. Telford Unit or another current TDCJ unit before using the record for travel, mail, or visitation planning.
- Review the profile for location, listed offenses, projected release information, and any status note that affects contact or release expectations.
The TDCJ inmate-information page is also a matched manifest image for this page.
That page is the fallback hub when the direct locator does not load or when a caller needs email or telephone options instead of a web-only search.
Barry B. Telford Unit Address and Contact
Use the unit phone number to confirm location, visit status, and unit-specific directions before travel. Telford is in New Boston, while the Bowie County jail and sheriff's office are in Texarkana. A court date, jail visit, TDCJ prison visit, and county records request can involve different buildings in Bowie County.
Barry B. Telford Unit
3899 State Highway 98
New Boston, TX 75570
903-628-3171
Confirm assignment, visitation status, and unit schedule before travel.
Visiting Someone at Barry B. Telford Unit
TDCJ visitation is approval-based and unit-specific. The TDCJ visitation page says visitors should confirm the inmate's unit assignment and visitation privileges, check the unit schedule and any cancellations, verify approved-visitor status, bring photo identification, and comply with clothing and prohibited-item rules. TDCJ also states that no cell phones are allowed inside the secure perimeter and that an inmate is allowed one visit per weekend.
| Step | Requirement | Source Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Before travel | Confirm unit assignment | Use TDCJ locator and call the unit for final confirmation. |
| Before scheduling | Confirm privileges and approval | Visitor must be approved and the inmate must have visit privileges. |
| At entry | Bring photo ID | TDCJ requires identification and clothing-rule compliance. |
| Property | No cell phones inside secure perimeter | Cash is limited; TDCJ notes coins of not more than $35. |
| Frequency | One visit per weekend | Coordinate with family because another visit may block the weekend slot. |
TDCJ visitation requirements are available as a matched source image in the manifest.
Use the statewide visitation page for system rules, then call Telford Unit for the current local schedule and any cancellation notices.
Mail, Phone, and Money at Barry B. Telford Unit
Mail, phone, electronic messaging, tablets, and video contact for Telford follow TDCJ rules, not Bowie County jail vendor rules. The research file documents TDCJ inmate technology services for telephone service, e-messaging, tablets, and Securus video visitation. It does not document a Telford-specific commissary fee table, so families should use the TDCJ service pages and confirm any fee during the transaction rather than relying on county jail commissary information.
| Service | Provider / Detail |
|---|---|
| Mail Address | Use the inmate's committed name and TDCJ identifying information with Barry B. Telford Unit, 3899 State Highway 98, New Boston, TX 75570; confirm current TDCJ mail format before sending. |
| Phone / Video | TDCJ inmate technology services cover telephone, e-messaging, tablets, and Securus video visitation. |
| Money Deposit | Use TDCJ-approved deposit channels; no Telford-specific fee table was located in the provided research. |
Prison Admission and Records at Barry B. Telford Unit
Telford is not the first booking point for a street arrest. A Bowie County arrest normally begins in the county jail system, where the sheriff-linked roster may show booking number, arrest date, charge, bond, arresting agency, and housing location. After conviction and transfer to TDCJ, the record shifts from a jail booking record to a prison custody record. That is why a person can disappear from the Bowie County roster without being released locally.
For records work, match the system to the event. Use Bowie County jail records for recent arrest and booking details, Bowie County courts for filed charges and dispositions, and TDCJ for state-prison location, offense, and projected release information. VINELink Texas and the TDCJ Integrated Victim Services System may also help with custody notifications, but they do not replace a direct TDCJ assignment check for visitation or mail.
About Barry B. Telford Unit
The TDCJ Unit Directory lists Telford operations that are specific to a state-prison campus: security horses, security pack canines, a unit garden, a cow/calf operation, field crops, a unit food bank garden program, scent-specific canines, and unit maintenance. The directory also identifies ambulatory medical, dental, and mental-health services. Staffing listed in the research includes 449 total employees, with 299 security employees, 84 non-security employees, 12 Windham Education employees, and contract medical and mental-health employees.
Recent official TDCJ news in the research file is also Telford-specific. An April 9, 2025 TDCJ release reported felony arrest warrants related to an alleged conspiracy to introduce contraband into Barry B. Telford Unit, and a June 22, 2026 TDCJ item reported a life-plus-120-year sentence in a major contraband case tied to the unit. Those items are prison oversight context; they should not be confused with Bowie County jail roster results or current county booking records.
Note: Confirm TDCJ custody location and visitation status with Telford Unit before traveling, because unit assignment and visiting eligibility can change.