Jester I Unit

The Beauford H. Jester I Unit (J1) is a Texas Department of Criminal Justice substance abuse felony punishment facility (SAFPF) located in unincorporated Fort Bend County, Texas. The unit is along U.S. Highway 90A, 4 miles (6.4 km) east of central Richmond. The unit, with about 940 acres (380 ha) of land, is co-located with Carol Vance Unit, Jester III Unit, and Jester IV Unit.[1] It is situated on the Jester State Prison Farm property.

History

The unit opened in 1885, and its first brick building was in 1932.[1]

The unit was originally known as the Harlem I Unit. Under the administration of George Beto, the unit was converted into a pre-release facility.[2] The unit was renamed after Governor of Texas Beauford H. Jester.[3]

In 1935 Jester housed White prisoners.[4] In 1963, before racial desegregation occurred, the facility housed Hispanic and Latino American first time offenders and prisoners considered by the administration to have good rehabilitative prospects.[5]

As of 2011 several houses and a high school are in proximity to Jester I Unit.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b "Jester I Unit." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on May 9, 2010.
  2. ^ Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Turner Publishing Company, 2004. 45. ISBN 1563119641, 9781563119644. "Harlem Unit (Jester Unit)"
  3. ^ Texas Dept of Criminal Justice. Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Turner Publishing Company. 2004. 91.
  4. ^ Trulson, Chad R., James W. Marquart, and Ben M. Crouch. First Available Cell: Desegregation of the Texas Prison System. University of Texas Press, 2009. 81. Retrieved from Google Books on July 16, 2010. ISBN 0292719833, 9780292719835.
  5. ^ Trulson, Chad R., James W. Marquart, and Ben M. Crouch. First Available Cell: Desegregation of the Texas Prison System. University of Texas Press, 2009. 82. Retrieved from Google Books on July 16, 2010. ISBN 0292719833, 9780292719835.
  6. ^ Ward, Mike. "As prison closes, could others be next?" Austin American-Statesman. Thursday August 11, 2011. Updated on Friday August 12, 2011. Retrieved on September 23, 2011.

External links

Houston portal
Texas portal