The Central Unit (C, previously the Imperial State Prison Farm and the Central State Prison Farm) was a Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) men's prison in Sugar Land, Texas. The approximately 325.8-acre (131.8 ha) facility is 2 miles (3.2 km) from the central part of the city of Sugar Land on U.S. Highway 90A.
The unit first opened in April 1909.[1] The unit had 950 beds for men but related facilities increased capacity at the site.[2]
Sugar Land Regional Airport was developed adjacent to this unit, with the runway between two parts of the prison property.[3] The Central Unit was the only state prison within the city limits of Sugar Land which, since 1960, has been highly developed as a suburban, upscale residential and business city.[4]
In August 2011, the TDCJ announced that the Central Unit would be the first prison in Texas to close without being replaced. The state wanted to save money at a time of budget shortfalls.[5]
Since then, most of the former prison plantation land has been redeveloped by Newland Communities as a master-planned community known as Telfair. Newland Communities had bought the land in 2002 from the State of Texas, long planning such development. Two Camp, a former prison building, has been renovated as the Houston Museum of Natural Science Sugar Land. Other parts of the site are zoned for light industrial use to support the airport.
- ^ "Central Unit Archived July 25, 2010, at the Wayback Machine." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on May 9, 2010.
- ^ Lowman, John. "Talk of prison move preliminary." Brazosport Facts. Wednesday June 6, 2007. Retrieved on May 9, 2010.
- ^ "WEB0425central_unit_391623k.jpg Archived 2010-12-03 at the Wayback Machine." Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved on May 9, 2010.
- ^ Hanson, Eric. "Historic prison may be closed," Houston Chronicle. 22 March 2008. Retrieved on April 30, 2011.
- ^ Goodwin, Liz. "Texas to close prison for first time in state history". Retrieved on Aug. 4, 2011.