Cleveland Unit
| Location |
901 E 5th St Cleveland, Texas 77327 |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 30°21′54″N 95°04′22″W / 30.365°N 95.072778°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Security class | G1, G2 |
| Capacity | 520 |
| Opened | September 1989 |
| Managed by | Management and Training Corporation |
| Warden | Michael Upshaw |
| County | Liberty County |
| Country | USA |
| Website |
www |
The Cleveland Unit is a prison for men in Cleveland, Texas privately operated by the Management and Training Corporation (MTC) on behalf of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ). The approximately 40-acre (16 ha) facility is .25 miles (0.40 km) north of Downtown Cleveland. The TDCJ refers to the prison as the "Cleveland Unit,"[1] while GEO Group, the former operator, referred to it as the Cleveland Correctional Center.[2] The facility is along U.S. Route 59.
History
Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) proposed a pre-release center along Atascocita Road in the Humble, Texas area. The local population opposed the measure. CCA instead planned to open a facility in Cleveland, where the local leaders were more receptive to the plan. The Cleveland Unit, then a $12 million ($23000000 when adjusted for inflation), 500 bed pre-release unit, officially opened on Thursday September 28, 1989. As of that year it was the fourth of the four privately operated prisons to be built in Texas.[3] It became a GEO facility on January 1, 1999.[2] As of September 1, 2015. MTC took over operations of the Cleveland facility.
Operations
The 40 acres (16 ha) site, located along the piney woods along U.S. Route 59, has a 124,000 square feet (11,500 m2) prison facility. Cindy Horswell of the Houston Chronicle said that the "unobtrusive" unit with "its concrete walls and bright blue entry would look like any other office building except for the high barbed-wire fence and 53 security cameras."[3] Since the prison is a private facility, the operators pay local taxes.[4] The prison accepts minimum security male prisoners who are within three years of parole.[2]
References
- ↑ "Cleveland Unit." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on May 10, 2010.
- 1 2 3 "Cleveland Correctional Center." GEO Group. Retrieved on October 2, 2010.
- 1 2 Horswell, Cindy. "Cleveland prison puts Texas on top in private facilities." Houston Chronicle. Friday September 29, 1989. A26. Retrieved on May 10, 2010.
- ↑ Horswell, Cindy. "For hard-hit economy of Liberty County, crime officially pays." Houston Chronicle. Thursday June 29, 1995. A30. Retrieved on July 23, 2010.
External links
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Coordinates: 30°21′54″N 95°04′22″W / 30.36500°N 95.07278°W