The Beauford H. Jester I Unit was a Texas Department of Criminal Justice substance abuse felony punishment facility (SAFPF) located in unincorporated Fort Bend County, Texas, United States. The unit was situated at Harlem Road and Ken Drive, on about of land, co-located with Carol Vance Unit, Jester III Unit, and Jester IV Unit which lie a little to its southeast. It was situated on the Jester State Prison Farm property.
History The unit opened in 1885, and its first brick building was in 1932.
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.Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Turner Publishing Company, 2004. 45. , . "Harlem Unit (Jester Unit)" The unit was renamed after Governor of Texas Beauford H. Jester.Texas Dept of Criminal Justice. Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Turner Publishing Company. 2004. 91.
In 1935, Jester held white prisoners.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. , . 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.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. , .
Effective 2020, the Jester I and Garza East Unit is slated for closure with a planned transfer of the Jester I inmates to the Stringfellow Unit.
References
External links
"Jester I Unit." Texas Department of Criminal Justice.