Lookup Buster Cole Unit Inmates

Buster Cole Unit Overview

Buster Cole Unit, listed by TDCJ as Cole (CL), is a Correctional Institutions Division prison in Bonham. It is not the Fannin County Jail and should not be treated as the intake point for a new arrest in Bonham or elsewhere in Fannin County. Cole houses male TDCJ inmates in sentenced state custody or other TDCJ custody categories, including the custody levels TDCJ lists for the unit. A person booked on a fresh local charge normally starts with the county jail and may later move into TDCJ only after the court process and qualifying transfer.

The official TDCJ unit page gives the unit address, phone, capacity, custody levels, accreditation, senior warden, and program details. It also places Cole west of Bonham and notes that Cole is co-located with Choice Moore on shared acreage. The local custody distinction is important: Fannin County Jail custody checks use the jail/VINE pathway, while Cole custody checks use the TDCJ inmate search. For a county-wide split of those systems, see the Fannin County inmate population overview.

The official TDCJ Buster Cole Unit page is the source for the unit snapshot below.

The image supports the key point for searchers: Cole is a TDCJ prison unit with its own state records path, not a county jail roster entry.

Buster Cole Unit Capacity

TDCJ lists Buster Cole Unit with a capacity of 900. The unit page identifies the population as male inmates and lists custody levels J1 through J5, G2, and Transient. The research does not provide a current same-day headcount for the unit, so the capacity figure should not be read as the number of people housed there today. For current custody location, use the TDCJ inmate search and confirm the listed unit in the profile.

Cole's capacity is separate from the TCJS county-jail capacity for Fannin County Jail. TCJS reports county jail population, while TDCJ reports state prison unit facts and state custody profiles. Combining the two without labels can mislead a family member who is trying to find the correct place to call, visit, or send money.

Search Buster Cole Unit Inmates

Use the TDCJ inmate search for Buster Cole Unit. The Fannin County jail phone, county VINE path, and Tyler court portal may help with local arrest or court history, but they are not the main locator for someone housed at Cole. TDCJ profiles focus on state identifiers, current unit, conviction or offense data, sentence information, and release or parole dates when available.

A TDCJ profile may include a state inmate photo. That image is not the same thing as a Fannin County booking mugshot. If the search goal is a county booking record from before transfer, request that record through the county process. If the goal is today's state custody location, rely on TDCJ and then call the unit if a visit, mail issue, or emergency message requires confirmation.

1. Open the TDCJ inmate search and choose a name search or direct ID search.
2. Search by last name and first name, or use a TDCJ number or SID number if known.
3. Open the matching profile and check whether the current facility is Cole or CL.
4. Review sentence, offense, projected release, parole, and unit-location details if shown.
5. Call the unit before a visit or time-sensitive contact if the profile recently changed.

Buster Cole Unit Contact

Use the TDCJ-published contact information for unit-specific questions. The unit phone is the better starting point for state-prison visitation confirmation, current unit instructions, and local facility rules. County offices cannot approve a state-prison visit or change a TDCJ inmate's mailing or commissary account status.

Buster Cole Unit Visitation

TDCJ visitation is separate from county jail visitation. State-prison visitors should use the TDCJ visitation hub and confirm unit-specific status with Cole before traveling. Approval, scheduling, visitor-list rules, identification, dress standards, lockdowns, holidays, and operational changes can affect a visit. The research does not give a Cole-only public schedule table with fixed times, so the accurate table is a rule-channel table rather than a made-up calendar.

Before travel, confirm the inmate is still assigned to Cole through TDCJ search, then check whether the visitor is approved and whether the unit is taking visits. If the person was recently transferred from county custody, there may be a delay before state visitation and mail information is clear.

Buster Cole Unit Mail and Money

Cole mail, commissary, and deposits follow TDCJ rules. Use the TDCJ inmate mail rules for addressing, content limits, and required identifiers. Use the TDCJ commissary information for money and commissary rules because vendors, fees, and deposit options can change.

The safest mail format uses the inmate's full committed name, TDCJ number if known, and the unit address exactly as TDCJ requires. Do not use Fannin County Jail mail rules for Cole. A person housed at Cole is in state custody, and incorrect county-jail mail or deposit routing may delay or reject the support.

Buster Cole Unit Admission

Cole does not perform street-arrest booking for Fannin County. A person arrested locally is normally processed through county custody first. After conviction and sentence, a person may transfer into TDCJ and later be assigned to a unit such as Cole. TDCJ classification uses state identifiers and custody categories rather than county jail pod labels.

For record searches, separate the timeline. The county jail record may show arrest date, booking date, arresting agency, booking charge, bond, and release or transfer status. The TDCJ profile may show state offense, sentence, projected release, parole eligibility, TDCJ number, SID number, and current unit. Both records can be useful, but they answer different questions.

About Buster Cole Unit

TDCJ lists Cole as on line in August 1995 and ACA accredited since January 2000. The official unit page names Senior Warden Bobbi Thomas and places the unit in the TDCJ chain with Regional Director Anthony Newton, Deputy Division Director Lonnie "L.E." Townsend, and Division Director Eric Guerrero. The page lists total employees, security staff, non-security staff, Windham education employees, contract medical employees, and mental-health staffing.

Programs and operations make Cole distinct from a local jail. TDCJ lists literacy, adult basic education, GED work, CHANGES pre-release, cognitive intervention, electrical trades, HVAC and refrigeration, a faith-based dormitory, FRED, chaplaincy, community tours, GO KIDS, community work projects, and volunteer initiatives. Medical capabilities include ambulatory medical, dental, mental-health services, single-level services, and CPAP accommodating housing managed by UTMB. Agricultural operations are shared with Choice Moore and include a unit garden, contract farming and grazing, security horses, and the Unit Food Bank Garden Program.