Mark W. Michael Unit

The Mark W. Michael Unit (MI) is a Texas Department of Criminal Justice men's prison located in unincorporated Anderson County, Texas. The unit is along Farm to Market Road 2054, 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Tennessee Colony. The unit, on 20,518 acres (8,303 ha) of land, is co-located with the Beto, Coffield, and Powledge prison units and the Gurney Transfer Unit.[1] The unit is in proximity to Palestine and the Rusk ironworks,[2] and it is in about a one hour driving distance from Dallas.[3]

The Michael Unit opened in September 1987.[1] Texas officials referred to the facility as "model for the future."[4] Robert Perkinson, author of Texas Tough: The Rise of America's Prison Empire, described Michael as "one of the meanest lockups" in Texas.[5]

Contents

Operations

Michael was one of the first prisons to no longer use the "telephone-pole" layout,[6] which has central pickets with dead-end cell blocks extending from them.[7] The telephone-pole layout, while inexpensive to build, is difficult to police without building tenders, convicts paid to police other convicts. Instead Michael uses a modular pod design, which allows for riot control and visual surveillance. Most pods have double-bunk, reinforced concrete cells with security features such as slit windows and bolted-down metal toilets. Some pods have dormitories.[6] Michael was one of several new prisons to have the ability to have many prisoners in extended lockdowns.[2] State officials said that Michael's features allowing for extended lockdowns of prisoners were modeled off of the United States Penitentiary, Marion.[6]

Notable prisoners

References

  1. ^ a b "Michael Unit." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on July 23, 2010.
  2. ^ a b Perkinson, Robert. Texas Tough: The Rise of America's Prison Empire. First Edition. Metropolitan Books, 2010. 314. ISBN 978-0-8050-8069-8.
  3. ^ a b Rhor, Monica. "Serial killer wrestles with his crimes." Fox News. Sunday June 8, 2008. Retrieved on December 12, 2010. "Henley, who turned 52 in May, sits behind a glass divider in the visiting room at the Michael Unit, a Texas prison set amid cow pastures and sprawling ranches about an hour south of Dallas."
  4. ^ Perkinson, Robert. Texas Tough: The Rise of America's Prison Empire. First Edition. Metropolitan Books, 2010. 314-315. ISBN 978-0-8050-8069-8.
  5. ^ Perkinson, Robert. Texas Tough: The Rise of America's Prison Empire. First Edition. Metropolitan Books, 2010. 28. ISBN 978-0-8050-8069-8.
  6. ^ a b c Perkinson, Robert. Texas Tough: The Rise of America's Prison Empire. First Edition. Metropolitan Books, 2010. 315. ISBN 978-0-8050-8069-8.
  7. ^ Perkinson, Robert. Texas Tough: The Rise of America's Prison Empire. First Edition. Metropolitan Books, 2010. 44. ISBN 978-0-8050-8069-8.
  8. ^ "Offender Information Detail Henley, Elmer Wayne Jr." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on July 20, 2010. Enter the SID "01924387."
  9. ^ Day, Elizabeth. "I love you Phillip Morris: a conman's story." The Observer. Sunday September 6, 2009. Retrieved on December 10, 2010.

External links

Texas Department of Criminal Justice-Correctional Institutions Division prison units
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