Worst Prisons List

9 Worst Prisons In The State of Texas

What are some of the 9 worst prisons in Texas? We have listed the 9 worst prisons in Texas based on crime rate and living conditions.

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Oct 24, 2023 • 5 min read

9 Worst Prisons In The State Texas

Texas is home to one of the worst prisons in the county, and what makes it worse is the fact that even a minor inconvenience is enough for the Judge to send you to jail. The authorities in Texas are extremely strict and rigid about crimes. To avoid getting yourself locked up in Texas is to make sure you simply do not commit any crime or do anything illegal.

Not only the worst prisons in the United States of America are located in Texas but they are also overpopulated because the number of incarcerated inmates is massive. According to Prison Profile, over 842 out of 100,000 citizens are incarcerated in Texas.

What are the reasons that make Texas prisons the worst?

The following are the reasons that make Texas prisons the worst in the country:

MThe majorityof inmates in Texas prisons do not have access to air-conditioning and what makes it much worse is the fact that summers in Texas are some of the most extreme in the country.
Prisons in Texas are overcrowded making them unfit, filled with crimes, and uncomfortable for inmates.
Prison gang wars are common in Texas Prisons.
Sexual abuse cases are also very common in Texas Prisons.
Services in Texas prisons are also some of the worst that an inmate can find.
Inmates do not get paid for the work they do, and even if they are being compensated, it is reported by several former inmates that the payment is not sufficient.

9 Worst Prisons in Texas:

The following are the 9 worst prisons in Texas:

Allan B Polunsky Unit:

Named after the former chairman of the Texas Board of Criminal Justice, this prison is one of the worst in the State of Texas, perhaps also the worst in the entire USA. The prison is a maximum security class, housing a death row facility and Texas some of the worst criminals that one can imagine.

Ever since its opening in 1993, the prison is accused of numerous kinds of violent acts on both ends; from the guards and authorities, and also from the inmates to other inmates. Murders, sexual acts, and overcrowding are some of the least problems in this prison. Some of the former inmates have reported that “barely surviving” this prison is the best a person can do.

The prison has solitary confinement which is reserved for the most troublesome inmates but that is still not enough to maintain law and order in this prison.

Huntsville Unit:

The second on our list is Huntsville Unit. This prison is a 54.36 acres big facility and is operated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. The prison is a maximum security facility that has a capacity of 1,705 inmates. It was opened in 1846, and ever since its opening day, the inmates have reported some horrors that they have faced in this prison.

Over the years, very little has been done to improve the situation as the number of killings, riots, hygiene issues, gang fights, and drug overdose is extremely common.

Ellis Unit:

Opened in the year 1965, the prison houses 2,073 inmates and has all the security classes from minimum to maximum. This is another worst prison in the state of Texas and is also famous for having one of the largest numbers of death row sentences, however, as of 2022, the death row has been moved.

This notorious prison faces similar issues of overcrowding, and gang wars. Murders are also common in this prison, especially in the maximum security block. Despite so many issues, the prison is the best guarded in the state of Texas and the ratio of guards vs inmates is also the reason why riots have been controlled.

Ferguson Unit:

Located in Midway, Texas, the all-male facility is facing rampant gang violence, illiteracy, and drug addiction. Former inmates have also reported they receive undersized meals and there is a lack of clean and adequate clothing.

Additionally, guards have also been reported to not take care of the air conditioning, making the life of inmates extremely tough, especially in the summer season.

George Beto Unit:

The fifth on our list is the George Beto Unit which is an all-male maximum security prison that is labeled as the “worst place in Texas.” In this prison, no one is safe from one another and hygiene is a major challenge for authorities, so much so that in 2016 Vice reported inmates through feces at guards and other inmates.

The unit opened in the year 1980 and in its initial years' things remained relatively calm but as the facility got older and its services started to dry up, that is when inmates discovered new ways to shame their enemies.

Wayne Scott Unit:

The Wayne Scott Unit is located in unincorporated Brazoria County, Texas. The prison was opened in 1839 and is amongst the oldest in Texas. The prison initially was only for white male inmates but that rule changed in 1963 and this is when things started to escalate in the prison. Racial tensions grew to their utmost often leading to gang fights and brutal murders.

While the racial tensions have calmed down over the years, this is not to say things are fine in the prison; they stand at a very thin line and can escalate at any given moment. There is also a rape epidemic in this prison.

Terrell Unit:

Located in Brazoria County, Texas, the Charles T. Terrell Unit is a minimum security level that has been operational since 1983.

The prison was considered to be the hub of da rug overdose. In 2008, an investigation revealed the guards were responsible for the smuggling of drugs and other banned items into the prison. Upon an inquiry, the authorities did take strict action but the problem of drug overuse has not been eliminated from the prison.

Dolph Briscoe Unit:

Opened in 1992, the prison has three different security levels from minimum to medium tto maximum

While the prison’s educational facilities are considered to be some of the best in the entire Texas prisons but the issue of overcrowding is serious in this prison and it is solely because of overcrowding that many of the offenders do not get access to basic facilities, let alone educational ones. Another issue is the cooling one in this prison and as summers become tense, the lack of Air Conditioning makes the stay of an inmate quite comfortable and unbearable at times.

Wallace Pack Unit:

The last one on our list is the Wallace Pack Unit. The prison is named after warden Wallace Pack who unfortunately became a victim of an inmate’s attack and lost to his injuries while defending himself during a riot. It is a minimum security prison and has a capacity of 1,157 inmates.

Conditions in this prison are not ideal, and guards are constantly on alert because gang fights and violent attacks are very common making the life of inmates tough and their time at the prison difficult. Additionally, the prison often suffers from necessities from food shortages, contaminated water, and no air conditioning during the summer seasons.

In 2016, guards had to move out the senior inmates because the indoors became extremely hot as there is bare to minimum natural ventilation in the cell blocks of the prison.

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