Jester I Unit
File:JesterHarlemPrisonFarmFortBendCoTx.png, the Central Prison Farm, and Sugar Land Regional Airport, July 1, 1990, U.S. Geological Survey]]
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 {{convert|940|acre|ha}} 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. [https://books.google.com/books?id=VgTcF_VMt54C&dq=%22Harlem+Unit%22+%22Jester+Unit%22&pg=PA45 45]. {{ISBN|1-56311-964-1}}, {{ISBN|978-1-56311-964-4}}. "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. [https://books.google.com/books?id=VgTcF_VMt54C&dq=%22Jester+Units%22&pg=PA93 91].
In 1935 Jester housed 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. [https://books.google.com/books?id=WQbCzIK84D8C&dq=%22Blue+Ridge%22+Mexicans+Eastham&pg=PA81 81]. Retrieved from Google Books on July 16, 2010. {{ISBN|0-292-71983-3}}, {{ISBN|978-0-292-71983-5}}. 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. [https://books.google.com/books?id=WQbCzIK84D8C&dq=%22Darrington+Farm%22+prison&pg=PA82 82]. Retrieved from Google Books on July 16, 2010. {{ISBN|0-292-71983-3}}, {{ISBN|978-0-292-71983-5}}.
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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.texastribune.org/2020/02/20/texas-closing-two-prisons|title=As the Texas prison population shrinks, the state is closing two more lockups|last=McCullough|first=Jolie|date=2020-02-20|website=The Texas Tribune|language=en|access-date=2020-03-09}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.tdcj.texas.gov/news/TDCJ_to_close_two_units_2020.html|title=The Texas Department of Criminal Justice to close two prison units in 2020|website=TDCJ News|language=en|access-date=2020-03-09}}{{Cite web|url=https://communityimpact.com/houston/sugar-land-missouri-city/public-safety/2020/02/21/jester-1-unit-an-adult-prison-in-richmond-will-close-in-2020/|title=Jester I Unit, an adult prison in Richmond, will close in 2020|last=Shoop|first=Claire|date=2020-02-21|website=Community Impact Newspaper|language=en|access-date=2020-03-09}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Portal|Texas}}
- "[http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/unit_directory/j1.html Jester I Unit]." Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
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