Ellis Unit

O. B. Ellis Unit (E1, previously Ellis I Unit"Inmate escapes Ellis I prison". Associated Press. Austin American-Statesman. June 10, 1989. B6. Retrieved August 22, 2010. "Authorities were searching for a state prison inmate serving time for burglary convictions who apparently escaped from the Ellis I Unit on".) is a Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison located in unincorporated Walker County, Texas, north of Huntsville. The unit, with about of space,‌ now houses up to 2,400 male prisoners."Ellis Unit". . Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved January 8, 2014. Ellis is situated in a wooded area shared with the Estelle Unit, which is located away from Ellis.Ward, Mike. "Hunt is on for escaped killer". Austin American-Statesman. June 29, 1999. A1. Retrieved November 27, 2010. From 1965 to 1999 it was the location of the State of Texas men's death row.

History

The unit opened in July 1965. It was named after Oscar B. Ellis, a former prison director of Texas.1995 "Annual Report". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved July 21, 2010. George Beto designed the unit, making it to be the strictest prison in the system, and Jim Estelle, the following prison director, continued the course of action Beto established.Turner, Allan. "Author revisits Texas prisons brutality case". Houston Chronicle. December 10, 2011. Retrieved December 19, 2011.

From 1965 to 1999 the unit housed the male death row, which had moved from Huntsville Unit."Death Row Facts". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved May 7, 2010. Michael Berryhill, an author, said "You had the toughest convicts, and the general philosophy was you needed the toughest warden. Wallace Pack was assigned to keep the lid on Ellis. The inmates in the prison were restless. There were work stoppages and strikes, and with Judge Justice's opinion, there was an air of expectancy that the brutality and terrible conditions would end." The book In This Timeless Time includes content about the unit's death row.

In April 1981, Eroy Brown, a prisoner who had been convicted of armed robbery and burglary, drowned Wallace Pack, the warden, and shot Billy Moore, the unit's farm manager, during a struggle for Pack's gun. Brown said that they were planning to kill him since he was going to expose a prison theft scheme. Thirty-five of 36 jurors voted in Brown's favor.

After a prisoner named Rodney Hulin fatally injured himself at the Clemens Unit, he was transferred to the Hospital Galveston Unit and then the Ellis Unit. Hulin died in the Ellis Unit in 1997.Berryhill, Michael. "What Really Happened To Rodeny Hulin?" Houston Press. August 7, 1997. 7. Retrieved January 17, 2010.

In November 1998,Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Turner Publishing Company, 2004. 103. , . six condemned men were absent from their cells for several hours and then coordinated an escape attempt."Prisoners at new Death Row unit face increased isolation Inmates caged 'like animals waiting for slaughter,' activist says". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. February 28, 2000. 1 News. Retrieved May 7, 2010. One of the men, Martin Gurule (TDCJ# 999063"Offenders No Longer on Death Row". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved August 22, 2010.), successfully escaped and was later found dead in a location near the prison grounds.Staff and Wire Reports. "Death-row inmates take officer hostage Warden negotiates with prisoners". The Dallas Morning News. February 22, 2000. Retrieved May 7, 2010. "He was later found dead near the prison, but his escape hastened the decision to house death-row inmates at Terrell Unit, prison officials have said." TDCJ officials said that he drowned on the day of his escape.Winingham, Ralph and Matt Flores. "Officials say Gurule died day of escape". San Antonio Express-News. December 5, 1998. 1A. Retrieved May 9, 2010. According to the TDCJ, the prison escape attempt had hastened the agency's decision to move death row inmates to a new location. TDCJ officials also stated that overcrowding at Ellis was another factor in the death row move."Prison board OKs moving death row". Associated Press at the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. May 22, 1999. Retrieved March 24, 2016.

Six months after the escape attempt, the TDCJ decided to move the death row. The Texas Board of Criminal Justice approved the relocation of the men's death row on Friday May 21, 1999. In 1999 the male death row was relocated to the Polunsky Unit (originally known as the Terrell Unit) in West Livingston, Texas. The first 55 inmates, all classified as being disruptive, were moved on Friday June 18, 1999."First condemned inmates moved to new death row near Livingston". Associated Press at Lubbock Journal-Avalanche. June 19, 1999. Retrieved March 24, 2016. The death row transfer, which took ten months, was the largest transfer of condemned prisoners in history and was performed under heavy security.

In 2011, the Ellis Unit furniture and wood plant was moved to the Lewis Unit.Ward, Mike. . Austin American-Statesman. September 4, 2011. Retrieved September 23, 2011.

Facilities It has a capacity of about 2,000 prisoners.

the prison sometimes had temperatures over 90 degrees Fahrenheit since there were no tempered air systems nor air conditioner units.

Death row

When the unit housed the male death row, condemned inmates worked in a garment factory, played basketball, assisted each other with legal work, and worshiped together. The prison guards allowed other offenders to gather and say goodbye to a death row inmate on the night before his execution. According to death row offender Jonathan Bruce Reed (Texas Department of Criminal Justice Death Row #642,"Jonathan Bruce Reed". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved July 21, 2010. now TDCJ#1743674 due to a reduction of the sentence to life imprisonment on November 3, 2011"Offenders No Longer on Death Row". (Archive) Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved March 16, 2014.), the attitude of the death row was "We can afford you some sort of reasonable life—within security confines" and that death row inmates "lived as humans". Reed said that condemned inmates sometimes violated the rules by smoking, getting tattoos, making wine, and engaging in sexual intercourse with other inmates and officers. Privileges decreased as years passed.Perkinson, Robert. Texas Tough: The Rise of America's Prison Empire. First Edition. Metropolitan Books, 2010. p. 38. .

The cells at Ellis's death row had bars on them. Sometimes there were two death row inmates per cell. Inmates were permitted to watch televisions located in the facility.

In popular culture Steve Earle recorded "Ellis Unit One" for the 1995 film Dead Man Walking. The song's lyrics focus on the effect of the death penalty on the guards that carry it out. Earle has been a vocal critic against the death penalty."Steve Earle: Still Singing, and Acting, Against the Death Penalty", The Huffington Post, 2011-09-29, Accessed 2014-01-08"Steve Earle", Author: Nick A. Zaino III, The Progressive, October 2011, Accessed 2014-01-18

Notable prisoners Death row prisoners Former Texas-sentenced inmates (all death row inmates on this list had been transferred to Polunsky Unit in 1999, commuted, released, and/or executed)

Charles Brooks Jr. (executed December 7, 1982)"Last Statement Charlie Brooks, Jr.". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved March 26, 2016. Peter Cantu (perpetrator of the murder of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Peña)"Peter Anthony Cantu". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved September 23, 2010. transferred to Polunsky Unit, executed August 17, 2010"Last Statement - Peter Cantu". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved September 23, 2010. Ignacio Cuevas (perpetrator of the 1974 Huntsville Prison Siege) - executed May 23, 1991"Ignacio Cuevas". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved December 4, 2010. Carlos DeLuna - executed December 7, 1989 Jeffrey Dillingham - perpetrator of the murder of Caren Koslow, transferred to Polunsky,"Jeffrey Dillingham". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved July 17, 2016. executed November 1, 2000"Last Statement Jeffery Dillingham #999071". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved July 17, 2016. Gustavo Julian Garcia - transferred to Polunsky Unit,"garciagustavo.jpg". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved February 18, 2016. executed February 16, 2016 Humberto Leal Garcia - transferred to Polunsky Unit,"leal.jpg". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved September 22, 2011. executed July 7, 2011."Humberto Leal Garcia Last Statement". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved September 22, 2011. Johnny Frank Garrett - executed February 11, 1992 Gary Graham a.k.a. Shaka Sankofa - moved to Polunsky,"Graham, Gary". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved July 17, 2016. executed June 22, 2000"Last Statement Gary Graham #969". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved July 17, 2016. Jesús Ledesma Aguilar"Jesus Ledesma Aguilar". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved November 10, 2016. - executed May 24, 2006."Last Statement Date of Execution: May 24, 2006 Offender: Aguilar, Jesus Ledesma". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved November 10, 2016. Kenneth McDuff (TDCJ#999055,"mcduffkenneth.jpg". (Archive) Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Retrieved March 16, 2014. executed November 17, 1998"mcduffkennethlast.html". (Archive) Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Retrieved March 16, 2014.) José Medellín (perpetrator of the murder of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Peña)"Jose Ernesto Medellin". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved September 23, 2010. - transferred to Polunsky Unit, executed August 5, 2008"Last Statement - Jose Ernesto Medellin". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved September 23, 2010. Derrick Sean O'Brien (perpetrator of the murder of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Peña)"Sean Derrick O'Brien". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved September 23, 2010. - transferred to Polunsky Unit, executed July 11, 2006"Last Statement - Derrick O'Brien". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved September 23, 2010. Ronald Clark O'Bryan"Ronald Clark O'Bryan". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved September 23, 2010. - executed March 31, 1984"Last Statement - Ronald Clark O'Bryan". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved September 23, 2010. Kenneth Ray Ransom, one of the three perpetrators of the 1983 Malibu Grand Prix murders. Executed in 1997. Genaro Ruiz Camacho - executed August 26, 1998 Hank Skinner - transferred to Polunsky UnitHank Skinner . Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved November 18, 2010. - Died while on death row. Edgar Tamayo - transferred to Polunsky, executed January 22, 2014"Edgar Arias Tamayo". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved April 21, 2016. Shannon Charles Thomas"Shannon Charles Thomas" Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved September 29, 2010. - transferred to Polunsky Unit, executed November 16, 2005"Last Statement - Shannon Charles Thomas". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved September 29, 2010. Pablo Lucio Vasquez"Vasquez, Pablo Lucio". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved April 10, 2016. - transferred to Polunsky, executed April 6, 2016 Coy Wesbrook - moved to Polunsky,"Wesbrook, Coy Wayne". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved February 12, 2016. executed March 9, 2016 Marvin Lee Wilson - moved to Polunsky"Marvin Lee Wilson". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved February 12, 2016. executed August 7, 2012"Last Words Wilson, Marvin". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved February 12, 2016.