Long Unit

Long Unit or Long State Prison is an annex of Smith State Prison. It is a medium-security facility for adult male inmates located in Ludowici, Georgia. It has the capacity to house 212 inmates, and it was opened in 2004.

Long Unit provides general labor and courtesy details to surrounding counties. It also offers academic, vocational, and on-the-job training (OJT) programs, along with cognitive behavior groups and re-entry classes to afford offenders the opportunity to enter back into society with the tools needed to become a productive citizen, thus reducing recidivism.

There are four open dormitories with bunk beds housing 50 in two dorms and 54 in the other two dorms. Long Unit also has four Isolation and Segregation cells. Smith State Prison is the host facility for Long Unit, and it also houses a Fire Station.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

However, before you can visit an inmate, you must fill out an application and be approved by the Georgia Department of Corrections. For complete details about the visiting process, click here.

The only items you can bring to a visit are:

• an identification card (All visitors, age 16 and over, must have a photo ID)
• car keys
• a maximum of twenty dollars ($20.00) in coins to be used for the vending machines

Food or drink from the outside isn’t allowed in the visiting room at Long Unitㄧother than bottled formula or store-bought products for babies. Electronic devices are not allowed in the visiting area. 

All visitors are searched by electronic surveillance instruments (metal detectors, etc.) when they arrive. Anything you bring into the facility will be searched by officers assigned to the visitation area.

Visitors must wear appropriate clothing, and shoes are required at all timesㄧincluding children if they are able to walk or stand. 

Male visitors are required to wear shirts and full-length trousers. Females may wear trousers, or if a female visitor wears a dress, skirt, or other similar garment, it may NOT be more than two (2) inches above the knees. Furthermore, all female visitors must wear undergarments such as bras, panties, and slips. 

Inappropriate clothing includes, but is not limited to:  

• Dresses or tops with thin straps which expose shoulders or chest area in any manner
• Tube tops or halters of any type
• Any type of clothing which reveals the stomach or midriff area
• Any type of clothing that is made of sheer or transparent material
• Shorts of any kind or any kind of slacks that are above the knee (twelve years old and under may wear shorts)
• Male visitors are not permitted to wear tank tops or short tops of any kind, nor see-through tops made of net or mesh webbing. 
• Shorts are not permitted (children twelve 12 years old and under may wear shorts)
• Any other type of clothing that is suggestive or revealing in any way is prohibited

Video Visits

Long Unit offers video visits through JPay. You must have a JPay account, and the video visit can last up to 30 minutes. The fee for a 30-minute video visit is $3.95.

Inmate mail is monitored by prison staff, so it’s best to keep things simple with regular paper, a regular envelope, and pics of family and friends. No stickers, greeting cards with electronics or music, or inappropriate pics.

In addition to regular mail, you can send a package to an inmate through the Georgia Inmate Package Program. However, your own homemade packages are not allowed.

You can also send and receive videograms and emails through JPay, which cost between one and three stamps each.

How to Call an Inmate

Inmates at Lee State Prison can’t receive calls, but they do have access to phones during approved hours. For complete details on how to call an inmate in Georgia, please click here. 

How to Send Money

You must use JPay or MoneyGram to send money to an inmate at Long Unit. The fees for this service vary based on which method you use and the amount of money you are sending.

JPay Options

• Online or Mobile App: To send an inmate money with your credit or debit card, visit JPay.com or download the JPay Mobile App that is available at the Apple App Store (for iPhones) and Google Play (for Android phones).
• By phone: Call (800) 574-5729 to talk with a live JPay call center agent and send money with a debit or credit card. 
• Mail a money orderㅡmade payable to JPayㅡwith a deposit slip to:

JPay
P.O. Box 260010
Hollywood, FL 33026

A money order deposit slip is available here.

Moneygram

If you would like to use cash, visit a MoneyGram location in person and use receive code 6857. MoneyGram locations include all Walmarts and CVS Pharmacies. 

Programs For Inmates

PROGRAMS:

• Academic: Adult Basic Education, General Education Diploma, Literacy
• Counseling: Re-Entry, Motivation for Change, Career Center, Lifers Group, Interest Profiler, Moral Reconation Therapy, Sex Offender Psycho-Educational Program (SOPP), Money Smart, Thinking for a Change, Matrix Model Early Recovery Skills
• Recreation: General Recreation
• Religious Activities: Various Worship Services, Bible Study
• Vocational/OJT: Food Preparation, Barbering, Recycling, Teacher/Library Aides, Laundry, Wastewater Treatment, Custodial & Building Maintenance, Career Clerks, Grounds Keeping, Auto Maintenance, Service Station Attendant, Basic Computer, Auto Detailing, Warehouse Forklift

WORK DETAILS:

Jesup City II, III, IV, Wayne County, Long County, Liberty County/Liberty II, Glynn County/D.O.T. Road Detail, Bryan County Recreation Center I & II, Fire Station, Brunswick State Patrol, Hinesville State Patrol, Long County Sheriff, Ludowici Police Department, Wayne County CourtHouse, Jesup City Shop, Department Of Transportation Weigh Station

Pictures of Long Unit

Careers at Long Unit

Employees at Long Unit say that the staff works together as a family to complete the facility’s mission of ensuring public safety and effectively house offenders while operating a safe and secure facility. Numerous employees report that it is a great place to work. 

If you are interested in a job at Long Unit, click here.