Total Number of Prisons In The State of Texas

How many prisons are there in the US state of Texas? We have listed all the prisons in the state of Texas that are either Federal, private, or run by the State.

How many prisons are in Texas
How many prisons are in Texas

The US State of Texas is considered to be one of the most rigorous-one when it comes to its number of prisons and number of people incarcerated. According to a report, over 840 people in Texas per 100,000 are locked in jails, making it the highest that any democracy on earth.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice TDCJ is a department under the Texas state which is responsible for statewide criminal justice. TDCJ has all the jurisdiction over the criminal justice system of convicted inmates and thus has responsibility for state and private prisons in Texas, funding, and certain oversight of the community supervision along with the supervision of the criminals who have been released; are on their parole or mandatory supervision.

At the moment there are 61 state prisons in Texas which by no surprise makes Texas the home of the greatest number of prisons and jails across the entire United States of America. To manage such a vast number of prisons, TDCJ has subdivided the number of prisons into different regions and categories some of which are privately owned and operated.

Criticism received to Texas criminal justice system:

As per a report from PrisonPolicy.org, over 251,000 people in Texas are behind bars some of whom have committed minor felonies but have since not been able to be granted bail or parole. The maximum number of inmates serve in State Prisons, over 163,000 prisons are currently in Texas state prisons which come under TDCJ.

Additionally, PrisonPolicy.org believes the number is expected to be much higher than they have gathered because Texas also has some county and city jails whose data is not readily available. Over the past 40 years, the rate of imprisonment has grown exponentially in the state of Texas which also includes a substantial rise after the COVID-19 led pandemic.

Authorities in the state of Texas have not much to say apart from ensuring that all those serving their jail times are those who were given a fair trial.

Prison System in the state of Texas:

To efficiently operate the largest prison system in any US state, the TDCJ has made several distinctions and subdivided into several groups for their ease of operational capabilities.

No matter what kind of subdivision there is within the jailing system of Texas, TDCJ keeps a close eye on the inmates and makes sure they are serving the sentence they are supposed to, and also ensures their rehabilitation programs are up to the mark. Depending upon the charges and crimes of a criminal, the state of Texas’s prison system has the following distinctions:

  • Texas State Prisons
  • Texas States Jails
  • Transfer Facilities
  • Pre-Release Facilities
  • Substance abuse Facilities
  • Psychiatric Facilities
  • Geriatric Facilities
  • Mentally Challenged Offender Program

In addition, the TDCJ has divided the state of Texas into 6 regions named as:

  • Region 1
  • Region 2
  • Region 3
  • Region 4
  • Region 5
  • Region 6

1.Texas State Prisons:

Texas State Prisons' system is designed for inmates who are to serve a long-term sentence for the crime and felony that they have committed. The state prisons are designed in such a manner that it houses rehabilitation and jobs programs that help inmates to get the support they need. Along with this, the purpose of this prison system is to make sure the time an inmate serves, they become a better person upon their release.

The prisons in the state of Texas are subdivided into the following 6 regions with the addition of Huntsville which is placed in region 1.

Region 1:

Jails in Huntsville:

TDCJ in its region 1 has a special distinction for Huntsville. This is where TDCJ HeadQuarters are also located. There are 4 jails in Huntsville including:

  • Huntsville Unit
  • John M. Wynne Unit
  • O. B. Ellis Unit
  • Thomas Goree Unit (GR)
  • James Jay H. Byrd Jr. Unit DU

Region 1:

  • J. Dale Wainwright Unit or Eastham Unit
  • W.J Estelle Unit
  • Jim Ferguson Unit (FE)
  • Gib Lewis Unit
  • Allan B. Polunsky Unit

Region 2:

  • George Beto Unit
  • William R. Boyd Unit
  • H.H Coffield Unit
  • Mark W. Michael Unit
  • Louie C. Powledge Unit
  • Barry B. Telford Unit

Region 3:

  • Clemens Unit
  • Darrington Unit
  • L.V. Hightower Unit
  • Jester 111 Unit
  • Ramsey Unit
  • Ramsey Unit
  • Wayne Scot Unit
  • Mark W. Stiles Unit.
  • Richard P. LeBlanc Unit
  • Stringfellow Unit
  • Terrell Unit
  • Carol Vance Unit

Region 4:

  • Dolph Briscoe Unit
  • John B. Connally Unit
  • James Lynaugh Unit
  • William G. McConnell Unit
  • Clarence N. Stevenson Unit
  • Ruben M. Torres Unit

Region 5:

  • James V. Alfred Unit
  • William P Clements Unit
  • Dalhart Unit
  • Rufe Jordan Unit
  • Dalhart Unit
  • Nathaniel J. Neal Unit
  • T.L Roach Jr. Unit (includes a Boot camp)
  • Preston E. Smith Unit
  • Daniel Webster Wallace Unit

Region 6:

  • Crain Unit
  • Hilltop Unit
  • William P Hobby Unit
  • Alfred D Hughes Unit
  • O.L. Luther Unit
  • Mountain View Unit
  • Dr. Lane Murray Unit
  • Wallace Pack Unit
  • French M. Robertson Unit

2. Texas State Jails:

In 1993, the Texas legislature created a new category of criminal punishment which designated the low-level felonies as State Jails which comprises mostly those prisoners that are in prison for their first time for nonviolent offenses. State Jails are divided into 5 different regions.

The purpose of the legislature on recommendations of TDCJ was to create a cost-effective setting rather than a prison with a strong emphasis on treatment, and rehabilitation allowing for successful re-entry to society. Some of the state jail felonies include:

  • Driving while intoxicated with a child passenger
  • Burglary of a building
  • Using a vehicle to evade arrest
  • Credit card abuse
  • Cruelty to animals
  • False alarm or report
  • Using a fake ID

We have an article about it here:

  • How many State level prisons are there in Texas?
How Many State Prisons are there in Texas?
Texas has both state prisons and federal prisons as well in the state. Learn more about the state prisons in Texas till 2022

Region 1:

  • Buster Cole State Jail
  • Hutchins State Jail

Region 2:

  • Larry Gist State Jail
  • Dempsie Henley State Jail
  • Pam Lychner State Jail
  • Lucille G. Plane State Jail

Region 3:

  • Fabian Dale Dominguez State Jail
  • Renaldo V. Lopez State Jail
  • Joe Ney State Jail
  • Rogelio Sanchez State Jail

Region 4:

  • Marshall Formby State Jail
  • J.B Wheeler State Jail

Region 5:

  • Travis County State Jail
  • Linda Woodman State Jail

3. Transfer Facilities in the State of Texas:

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice has several transfer facilities which house those inmates who are undergoing their trial and waiting for a sentence.

These are also used to house criminals with shorter sentences but their main purpose is to allow the inmates to focus on their trial and depending upon the sentence they receive, they are transferred from a transfer facility to a Texas jail or a Texas prison.

The TDCJ has also divided the Texas transfer facilities into several regions which include:

Region 1:

  • Glen Ray Goodman Unit
  • Joe F. Gurney Unit
  • Reverend C.A. Holiday Unit

Region 2:

  • Choice Moore Unit

Region 3:

  • Cotulla Unit
  • Fort Stockton Unit
  • Garza East Unit
  • Garza West Unit

Region 5:

  • Jim Rudd Unit
  • Tulia Unit
  • Dick Ware Unit

Region 6:

  • Marlin Unit
  • John W. Middleton Unit
  • San Saba Unit

4. Pre-release facilities in the State of Texas:

The TDCJ also operates Pre-release facilities. These are largely for those inmates who have served a jail time of more than a decade and then are transferred here which is a more flexible and lenient facility with the main focus to get them on track of getting back to society.

TDCJ houses several rehabilitation programs specifically to prepare the inmate for in-demand skills. The pre-release facilities by the state of Texas include:

Region 3:

  • Richard J. LeBlanc Unit

Region 4:

  • Manuel A. Segovia Unit

Region 6:

  • Hamilton Unit
  • Thomas Havins Unit

5. Substance abuse facilities in the State of Texas:

The following are the substance abuse facilities in the state of Texas that operate as substance rehabilitation facilities to allow inmates to recover themselves from excessive substance use.

Region 2:

  • Clyde M. Johnston Unit

Region 3:

  • Jester 1 Unit

Region 4:

  • Ernestine Glossbrenner Unit

Region 6:

  • Ellen Halbert Unit
  • Walker Sayle Unit

6. Psychiatric Facilities:

The following are the psychiatric facilities that TDCJ operates:

Region 2:

  • Skyview Unit

Region 3:

  • Beauford H. Jester IV Unit

Region 5:

  • Montford Psychiatric Unit

7. Geriatric Facilities:

The TDCJ operates only one Geriatric facility in region 1 that includes:

  • Rufus H. Duncan Geriatric Facility
  1. Mentally Challenged Offender Program:

The TDCJ operates one mentally challenged offender program to rehabilitate mentally challenged criminals who have committed a crime due to their mental illness.

Region 2:

  • Jerry H. Hodge Unit

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