- George Beto Unit
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Aerial view of the Coffield Prison Farm Property (The Beto, Coffield, Gurney, Michael, and Powledge units)
1977 United States Geological Survey map of the land which now houses the Beto UnitThe George Beto Unit (B) is a men's prison of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice located in unincorporated Anderson County, Texas. The unit is located along Farm to Market Road 3328, 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Tennessee Colony. The prison, co-located with Coffield Unit, Michael Unit, and Powledge Unit prisons and the Gurney Unit transfer unit, has 20,518 acres (8,303 ha) of land.[1]
The unit opened in June 1980. It has the Correctional Institutions Division Region II Maintenance headquarters.[1] The unit was named after George Beto, who served as a prison director.[2] Perryn Keys of the Beaumont Enterprise said that Beto "has been described as a gladiator’s playground — a hardcore joint, even as prisons go." Ricardo Ainslie, an author and a professor in the educational psychology department of the University of Texas, said that when he toured Beto with the warden, he was "scared (expletive)."[3] Joyce King, author of Hate Crime: The Story of a Dragging in Jasper, Texas, said that Beto's reputation as a "gladiator" prison stems from the fact that most of its prisoners are in their mid-20s, relatively young. Some inmates are at the equivalent of a 4th year high school student, and a few are near their 30s. King also said "The dubious distinction is also a warning—gladiators either fight because they must or because they like to."[4]
Contents
Facility
Beto has housing for its warden. The warden housing, in one duplex unit, is a part of three duplexes. One other duplex has housing for the warden of another unit, and one is unoccupied as of 2002.[5]
The prison places its known gang members in the F Wing. The far southern wing, PTRC, is a pre-release wing.[6]
Notable inmates
- Lawrence Russell Brewer (Murderer of James Byrd, Jr.)[3]
- John William "Bill" King (Murderer of James Byrd, Jr.)[3]
- David Brooks (Accomplice of Murdered Houston Child Murderer, Dean Corll)
References
- ^ a b "Beto Unit." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on June 5, 2010.
- ^ "1995 Annual Report." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on July 21, 2010.
- ^ a b c Keys, Perryn. "JASPER: THE ROAD BACK: Did prison time turn man into one of Byrd's killers?" Beaumont Enterprise. June 9, 2008. Retrieved on July 23, 2010.
- ^ King, Joyce. Hate Crime: The Story of a Dragging in Jasper, Texas. Random House, Inc., 2002. 98. Retrieved from Google Books on November 3, 2010. ISBN 0375421327, 9780375421327.
- ^ King, Joyce. Hate Crime: The Story of a Dragging in Jasper, Texas. Random House, Inc., 2002. 92. Retrieved from Google Books on November 3, 2010. ISBN 0375421327, 9780375421327.
- ^ King, Joyce. Hate Crime: The Story of a Dragging in Jasper, Texas. Random House, Inc., 2002. 97. Retrieved from Google Books on November 3, 2010. ISBN 0375421327, 9780375421327.
External links
- "Beto Unit." Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
- List of prisoners in the Beto Unit - The Texas Tribune
Texas Department of Criminal Justice-Correctional Institutions Division prison unitsRegion I Byrd | Eastham | Ellis | Estelle | Ferguson | Goree | Huntsville | Lewis | Polunsky | Wynne
Region II Region III Clemens | Darrington | Hightower | Jester III | Ramsey | Scott | Stiles | Stringfellow | Terrell | VanceRegion IV Region V Region VI Private Former units CentralAbove facilities are male-only unless noted by ♀(female-only)Categories:- Prisons in Anderson County, Texas
- 1980 establishments
- Law enforcement stubs
- Texas stubs
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