Huntsville Unit

Texas state prison

Huntsville Unit (HV)

Location in Texas

Location| 815 12th Street
Huntsville, Texas 77342
Coordinates| 30°43′18″N 95°32′48″W﻿ / ﻿30.7217°N 95.5466°W﻿ / 30.7217; -95.5466
Status| Operational
Security class| G1–G3, Security Detention, Transient
Capacity| 1,705
Opened| 1849
Managed by| Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Warden| Kelly Strong
County| Walker County
Country| USA
Notable prisoners
Chad Butler ("Pimp C"), Duane "Dog" Chapman, John Wesley Hardin, Satanta, Doc Middleton Seth Wayne Campbell (first marriage on unit)

Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville or Huntsville Unit (HV), nicknamed "Walls Unit", is a Texas state prison located in Huntsville, Texas, United States. The approximately 54.36-acre (22.00 ha) facility, near downtown Huntsville, is operated by the Correctional Institutions Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.[1] The facility, the oldest Texas state prison, opened in 1849.[2]

The unit houses the execution chamber of the State of Texas. It is the most active execution chamber in the United States, with 591 (as of October 1, 2024)[3] executions since 1982, when the death penalty was reinstated in Texas (see Lists of people executed in Texas).[4]

## History

[edit]

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|

Huntsville Unit's yard during the 1870s

The prison's first inmates arrived on October 2, 1849.[5] The unit was named after the County of Huntsville.[6] Robert Perkinson, the author of Texas Tough: The Rise of America’s Prison Empire, wrote that the unit was, within Texas, "the first public work of any importance".[7]

Originally Huntsville Unit was only for white Texans; the only penalties available to black Texans were whipping and hanging. During the American Civil War, prisoners at Huntsville produced tents and uniforms for Confederate forces at the prison textile factory.[8] After the Civil War ended, Huntsville Unit was the only prison in the former Confederate States of America to remain.[5] Perkinson stated that the prison became, within the state, the "first racially integrated public institution".[7]

Originally women in the Texas Prison System were housed in the Huntsville Unit.[9] Beginning in 1883 women were housed in the Johnson Farm, a privately owned cotton plantation near Huntsville.[10] During this time there was some concern that "immoral practices may be resorted to" in regards to the female prisoners.[11]

Historically the prison served as the administrative headquarters of the Texas Prison System and the Texas Department of Corrections;[12][13] the superintendent and the other executive officers worked in the prison, and all of the central offices of the system's departments and all of the permanent records were located in the prison.[12] In 1934 John Lomax and Alan Lomax recorded the earliest known recording of "This Little Light of Mine" when they recorded Jim Boyd of Jacksonville, Texas, singing at prison.[14][15]

In 1965, the men's death row moved to the Ellis Unit.[16]

In 1974, the prison was the site of an eleven-day siege, one of the longest hostage-taking sieges in United States history.[17] Three armed inmates, Fred Carrasco, Ignacio Cuevas, and Rudy Dominquez, held several hostages in the education department. The ringleader, Fred Carrasco, had been a porter in the chapel. Cuevas usually worked in the inmate dining hall. Ten hostages were employees of the prison system: two were educators, and one was a guard.[18]

Later on, the prison chaplain became a hostage. Four prisoners were held as hostages. On the final day, the inmates tried to escape using chalkboards and hostages as shields.[18][page needed][19] Dominquez was killed in the attempt. Carrasco killed Elizabeth Beseda and then shot himself. Julia Standley was also killed that day. Ignacio Cuevas was executed on May 23, 1991 for her murder.[20][21]

## Facility

[edit]

The red brick walls led to the nickname "Walls Unit."

While the prison is officially the Huntsville Unit, the prison's red brick walls led to the nickname "Walls Unit."[22] The prison is 160 miles (260 km) southeast of Dallas and 70 miles (110 km) north of Houston.[23] The original cellblock had been closed for several years prior to 2011.[24] The electric chair was previously in a building adjacent to the institution's east wall. When the death row was in Huntsville, it was in the East Building.[25]

## Operations

[edit]

The warden of the Huntsville Unit is in charge of the maintenance of the Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery, the TDCJ prisoner cemetery.[26] Prisoners from this unit are assigned to maintain the cemetery.[27]

## Release center

[edit]

The Huntsville Unit serves as one of the TDCJ's regional release centers for male prisoners. Most male prisoners are released to be closer to their counties of conviction, approved release counties, and/or residences. Male prisoners who have detainers, are classified as sex offenders, have electronic monitoring imposed by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, and/or have certain special conditions of the Super Intensive Supervision Program (SISP) are released from the Huntsville Unit, regardless of their counties of conviction, residences, and/or approved release counties.[28]

Rick Thaler, the director of the Correctional Institutions Division, predicted in 2010 that the Huntsville Unit, which serves as the regional release center for Greater Houston, will remain the TDCJ's largest release center.[29] Throughout the history of the Texas Prison System 90% of male prisoners were sent to the unit for the final portions of their sentences before being released. Starting in September 2010 the TDCJ instead began to use regional release centers for male prisoners.[30]

## Death penalty

[edit]

The Huntsville Unit is the location of the State of Texas execution chamber.[31] The TDCJ generally houses male death row inmates in the Polunsky Unit (formerly Terrell Unit) and female death row inmates in the Patrick O'Daniel Unit (formerly Mountain View Unit).[32]

Between 1819 and 1923 the method of execution was hanging until Texas authorized the use of the electric chair; the use of the electric chair ended the execution of death sentences by counties in Texas. The chair—often euphemistically called "Old Sparky"—was constructed by inmates.[33] Between 1924 and 1964, 362 inmates were executed by electrocution. The chair now resides at the Texas Prison Museum, located on Interstate 45 on the north side of Huntsville which features displays of historical items from the prison system, including shanks and other items confiscated from inmates.

On one occasion the prison used a facility below the current warden's office as a death row for women. Emma "Straight Eight" Oliver, the first female death row inmate under Texas state jurisdiction, was sentenced to death in 1949. In 1951 her sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. Subsequently the Goree Unit and then the O'Daniel Unit were used as women's death rows.[34]

### Execution procedure

[edit]

Inmates scheduled for execution are brought from death row on the Polunsky Unit to the Huntsville Unit early in the afternoon of their execution date. Unlike other states, Texas has since 2011 prohibited inmates from having special last meals, following abuse of the privilege by past prisoners, and the rationale that the condemned did not offer a meal to their victims and thus should not be given special recognition. Inmates may, but are not required to, issue a last statement prior to execution. By law, executions are to be held after 6:00 p.m. Huntsville (Central) time.[35]

Until that time, the condemned inmates are housed about 30 feet (9.1 m) from the door of the execution chamber. The Texas Death House is located at the northeast corner of the Huntsville Unit, just below the #1 picket.[18][page needed] No law prohibits multiple executions in a single day, but this has not happened since August 2000.

The execution chamber is a 9-foot (2.7 m) by 12-foot (3.7 m) room, with mint green-painted walls and a gurney. When Jim Willett was warden of Huntsville Unit, he added a pillow to the gurney. Texas uses a single lethal dose of pentobarbital to execute condemned inmates.[36] Two adjacent rooms, which allow viewing into the execution room through glass windows, are for two groups. One room is reserved for witnesses from among the family and friends of the crime victim(s), while the other is for the family and friends of the condemned.[37]

## Notable inmates

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This list does not include death row inmates who were only housed in other units (Ellis, Polunsky, and/or O'Daniel) and executed in Huntsville on the days of their executions. For people held at Huntsville Unit only for execution, see Lists of people executed in Texas. Current:

Inmate Name  | Register Number  | Status  | Details

|
|
|

Chad Butler |  | Transferred to Huntsville from the Terrell Unit in Brazoria County, Texas on the week of his release from the TDCJ system[38] | Known as Pimp C, a rapper
Fred Carrasco |  | Committed suicide  | Perpetrator of the 1974 Huntsville Prison Siege[39]
Henry Ray Clark |  | Released, now deceased  | Artist[40] known as The Magnificent Pretty Boy
Duane 'DOG' Chapman | TDCJ #271097  | Served 18 months for a murder in 1977.  | Star of the television show Dog the Bounty Hunter
Jack Purvis |  | Committed a robbery in El Paso, Texas[41] | Musician
John Wesley Hardin |  | Served from September 28, 1878, to March 16, 1894[42] | Outlaw and gunfighter of the American Old West
Satanta |  | Committed suicide in the prison[43] | A Kiowa war chief
Carlos Coy | TDCJ #01110642  | Eligible for parole on October 7, 2024; projected release date April 8, 2047  | Known as SPM (South Park Mexican), a rapper
Isayah Fatu |  | Served six years for robbery between 2016 and March 2022.[44] | Known as Zilla Fatu, a professional wrestler

* Buck Barrow, Barrow Gang
* George Hassell: Huntsville Unit Death Row, Executed in February 1928.
* W. D. Jones, Barrow Gang, 6 years at Huntsville

## Cultural references

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* "Huntsville", a song on Merle Haggard's 1971 album, Someday We'll Look Back references being sent to Huntsville Prison.
* The Getaway, a 1972 Sam Peckinpah film, which starred Steve McQueen, was filmed here.
* Cross Canadian Ragweed has a song that is about the prison called "Walls of Huntsville" on their 2002 self-titled album.
* Steve Earle recorded "Ellis Unit One" (after the Ellis Unit) 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.
* Kevin Costner portrayed the convict Butch Haynes in the 1993 film A Perfect World, who escaped from Huntsville Prison.
* Texas Country artist Cody Johnson refers to the prison in his song "Texas Kind of Way", with the lyric "might as well just lock me up in Huntsville, if your memory's here to stay".
* In the 2007 film No Country for Old Men, it was mentioned that the Sheriff in Terrell County, Texas had sentenced a man to death in the Huntsville Unit for killing a 14-year-old girl.
* Subject of a song by country singer Bobby Bare \- "Back Home In Huntsville Again"
* In Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown, the characters played by Samuel L. Jackson and Robert De Niro first met while doing time in Huntsville.
* In the 2003 video game Freelancer, the LPI Huntsville is a prison ship orbiting Houston planet in the Texas system.
* David Allan Coe refers to the "Huntsville prison walls so high" in his song "Houston, Dallas, San Antone".
* The 2003 film, The Life of David Gale, was shot in multiple places, including Huntsville, Texas. In the film, Kevin Spacey played the eponymous character, a college professor and longtime activist against capital punishment who is sentenced to death for killing a fellow capital punishment opponent.
* Werner Herzog's 2011 documentary Into the Abyss, follows the execution of Jason Burkett which took place in the Huntsville unit. It features numerous shots of the chamber and describes the execution process.
* Jason Boland & The Stragglers released a song off 2015 CD Squelch titled "Christmas in Huntsville".

## See also

[edit]

* Texas portal

* List of Texas state prisons
* Texas Prison Rodeo
* Capital punishment in Texas

## Footnotes

[edit]

1. ^ "Huntsville Unit Archived 2008-03-30 at the Wayback Machine." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on May 10, 2010.
2. ^ "Huntsville Prison Blues". PBS.org. Retrieved 2007-12-08.
3. ^ "A Texas man is executed for fatally stabbing twin teenage girls in 1989". NPR. 2 October 2024.
4. ^ "Death Row Information". Tdcj.state.tx.us. Archived from the original on 2013-04-15. Retrieved 2013-04-22.
5. ^ a b Hollister, Stacy. "Texas Tidbits." Texas Monthly. July 2002. Retrieved on July 3, 2010.
6. ^ "1995 Annual Report." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on July 21, 2010.
7. ^ a b Roth, Mitchel P. "Texas Tough: The Rise of America's Prison Empire (review)" (Archive). Southwestern Historical Quarterly, 2011, Vol.115(1), pp.106-107 [Peer Reviewed Journal] - Available at Project MUSE.
8. ^ King, Michael. "Grim History." Austin Chronicle. August 20, 2010. Retrieved on December 11, 2010.
9. ^ Perkinson, Robert. Texas Tough: The Rise of America's Prison Empire. First Edition. Metropolitan Books, 2010. p. 93. ISBN 978-0-8050-8069-8. "Conditions at the Walls provoked criticism as well, particularly with respect to female prisoners."
10. ^ Perkinson, Robert. Texas Tough: The Rise of America's Prison Empire. First Edition. Metropolitan Books, 2010. p. 132. ISBN 978-0-8050-8069-8.
11. ^ The Texas State Library and Archives. Fear Force and Leather: The Texas Prison System's First Hundred Years, 1848-1948. [1].
12. ^ a b "Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. 2010-06-15. Retrieved 2010-07-24.
13. ^ Renaud, Jorge Antonio. "Diagnostic." Behind the Walls: A Guide for Families and Friends of Texas Prison Inmates. University of North Texas Press, 2002. 1. ISBN 1-57441-153-5, ISBN 978-1-57441-153-9.
14. ^ "Kodály Center for Music Education - Song".
15. ^ "This little light of mine". Library of Congress.
16. ^ "Death Row Information". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved 2024-10-05.
17. ^ "Blood Hostages", TIME, August 12, 1974. Retrieved on 2008-07-13.
18. ^ a b c Warden by Jim Willett and Ron Rozelle
19. ^ "Observer-Reporter - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 2016-01-19.
20. ^ cuevas.jpg (). Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
21. ^ "Participant in Prison Siege Is Executed in Texas". The New York Times. 1991-05-23. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-01-19.
22. ^ Graczyk, Michael. "Tales from inside Texas death row[permanent dead link‍]." Associated Press at The Victoria Advocate. Sunday April 10, 2005. 1C. Retrieved from Google News (Page 16 of 47) on July 24, 2010.
23. ^ "Texas ejecutó a un hispano." Univision. April 28, 2010. "[...]en la unidad carcelaria Walls, en Huntsville, a unos 250 kilómetros al sureste de Dallas."
24. ^ Ward, Mike. "Budget writers agree to shut old prison Archived 2012-10-14 at the Wayback Machine." Austin American-Statesman. Tuesday May 17, 2011. Retrieved on September 23, 2011.
25. ^ "Death Row Facts." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on September 23, 2014.
26. ^ "Eternity's gate slowly closing at Peckerwood Hill." Houston Chronicle. August 3, 2012. Retrieved on March 16, 2014.
27. ^ Ross, Robyn. "Laid to Rest in Huntsville" (Archived 2014-03-16 at the Wayback Machine) Texas Observer. Tuesday, March 11, 2014. Retrieved on March 16, 2014.
28. ^ "General Information Guide for Families of Offenders." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. December 2010. 36 (40/46). Retrieved on March 1, 2011.
29. ^ "New regional release centers now operating across state Archived 2011-02-20 at the Wayback Machine." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. September–October 2010. Retrieved on March 1, 2011.
30. ^ Schiller, Dane. "Walking free - now what?" Houston Chronicle. May 9, 2010. Retrieved on May 10, 2010.
31. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions Victim Survivors Viewing Executions Archived 2010-07-25 at the Wayback Machine." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on August 15, 2010. "Executions in Texas normally take place around 6:00 p.m. at the Huntsville Unit in downtown Huntsville, Texas."
32. ^ "Death Row Facts Archived August 6, 2009, at the Wayback Machine." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on August 15, 2010.
33. ^ "Texas Prison Museum: Home of Old Sparky". RoadsideAmerica.com. Retrieved 2007-12-08.
34. ^ Jackson, Bruce and Diane Christian. In This Timeless Time: Living and Dying on Death Row in America. University of North Carolina, 2012. ISBN 0807835390, 9780807835395. p. 143.
35. ^ Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, Article 43.14, "Execution of Convict"
36. ^ Fernandez, Manny; Schwartz, John (2014-05-12). "Confronted on Execution, Texas Proudly Says It Kills Efficiently". The New York Times.
37. ^ Perkinson, Robert. Texas Tough: The Rise of America's Prison Empire. First Edition. Metropolitan Books, 2010. p. 40. ISBN 978-0-8050-8069-8.
38. ^ "Rapper Pimp C released from prison Archived June 29, 2011, at the Wayback Machine." KTRK-TV. Friday December 20, 2005. Retrieved on November 19, 2010.
39. ^ "Ignacio Cuevas Archived 2011-06-11 at the Wayback Machine." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on December 4, 2010.
40. ^ "Art turned around Henry Ray Clark's troubled life". 2006-08-02. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
41. ^ Hollandsworth, Skip. "O Sister, Where Art Thou?" Texas Monthly. May 2003. 2. Retrieved on October 20, 2011.
42. ^ "Outlaws: John Wesley Hardin". FrontierTimes. Retrieved 2013-04-22.
43. ^ "Satanta." Handbook of Texas. Retrieved on October 26, 2010.
44. ^ Akshay Thimmaya & Andrew Kelly (July 30, 2024). "Zilla Fatu: Age, Height, Weight, Finisher & More To Know". thesportster.com. Retrieved September 4, 2024.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Huntsville Unit.

* Huntsville Unit \- Texas Department of Criminal Justice
* Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville from the Handbook of Texas Online
* Texas Prison Board: An Inventory of Records of the Texas Prison System at the Texas State Archive 1913-1933, 1943, undated
* List of prisoners at the Huntsville Unit \- The Texas Tribune
* Texas Prison Museum
* "Inside Death Row." - National Geographic Explorer

* v
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Texas Department of Criminal Justice

Prison units|

| Region I|

* Byrd
* Ellis
* Estelle (formerly Ellis II)
* Ferguson
* Goree
* Huntsville
* Lewis
* Polunsky (formerly Terrell)
* Wainwright (formerly Eastham)
* Wynne

|

Region II|

* Beto
* Boyd
* Coffield
* Hodge
* Michael
* Powledge
* Telford

Region III|

* Clemens
* Hightower
* Jester III
* Memorial (formerly Darrington)
* Ramsey
* Stiles
* Stringfellow
* Terrell (formerly Ramsey III)
* Vance

Region IV|

* Briscoe
* Connally
* Lynaugh
* McConnell
* Stevenson
* Torres

Region V|

* Allred
* Clements
* Dalhart
* Daniel
* Jordan
* Neal
* Roach
* Rudd
* Smith
* Wallace

Region VI|

* Crain♀
* Hilltop♀
* Hobby♀
* Hughes
* Luther
* Mountain View♀
* Murray♀
* Pack
* Robertson

Private|

* Bridgeport
* Cleveland
* Diboll
* Estes
* Kyle
* Lockhart♀
* B. Moore

Former units|

* Central
* Retrieve (later Wayne Scott)

State jail units|

| Region II|

* Cole
* Hutchins

|

Region III|

* Gist
* Henley♀
* Kegans
* Lychner
* Plane♀

Region IV|

* Dominguez
* Lopez
* Ney
* Sanchez

Region V|

* Formby
* Wheeler

Region VI|

* Travis County
* Woodman♀

Private|

* Bartlett (closed 2017)
* Bradshaw (closed 2020)
* Dawson♂♀ (closed 2013)
* Lindsey
* Willacy County

Transfer units|

| Region I|

* Goodman
* Gurney
* Holliday

|

Region II|

* C. Moore

Region IV|

* Cotulla
* Fort Stockton
* Garza East (closed 2020)
* Garza West

Region V|

* Tulia
* Ware

Region VI|

* Marlin
* Middleton
* San Saba

Psychiatric units|

| Region III|

* Wayne Scott (formerly Jester IV)

|

Above facilities are male-only unless noted by ♀(female-only) or ♂♀ (cogender)

* v
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* e

Execution sites in the United States

Federal facilities

Federal Bureau of Prisons|

* United States Penitentiary, Terre Haute

Department of Defense|

* United States Penitentiary, Terre Haute

| Chamber closed|

* United States Disciplinary Barracks

|

State prisons

Alabama|

* Holman Correctional Facility

| Chamber closed|

* Kilby Correctional Facility

|

Arizona|

* Arizona State Prison Complex – Florence

Arkansas|

* Cummins Unit

| Chamber closed|

* Tucker Unit

|

California|

| Chamber closed|

* San Quentin Rehabilitation Center

|

Colorado|

| Chamber closed|

* Colorado State Penitentiary
* Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility

|

Connecticut|

| Chamber closed|

* Osborn Correctional Institution

|

Delaware|

| Chamber closed|

* James T. Vaughn Correctional Center

|

Florida|

* Florida State Prison

| Chamber closed|

* Union Correctional Institution

|

Georgia|

* Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison

| Chamber closed|

* Georgia State Prison

|

Idaho|

* Idaho Maximum Security Institution

Illinois|

| Chamber closed|

* Stateville Correctional Center
* Tamms Correctional Center

|

Indiana|

* Indiana State Prison

Iowa|

| Chamber closed|

* Iowa State Penitentiary

|

Kansas|

* Lansing Correctional Facility

Kentucky|

* Kentucky State Penitentiary

Louisiana|

* Louisiana State Penitentiary

Maryland|

| Chamber closed|

* Metropolitan Transition Center

|

Mississippi|

* Mississippi State Penitentiary

Missouri|

* Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center

| Chamber closed|

* Missouri State Penitentiary
* Potosi Correctional Center

|

Montana|

* Montana State Prison

Nebraska|

* Nebraska State Penitentiary

Nevada|

* Ely State Prison

| Chamber closed|

* Nevada State Prison

|

New Hampshire|

* No execution chamber

| Chamber closed|

New Hampshire State Prison for Men

|

New Jersey|

| Chamber closed|

New Jersey State Prison

|

New Mexico|

| Chamber closed|

Penitentiary of New Mexico

|

New York|

| Chamber closed|

* Auburn Correctional Facility
* Clinton Correctional Facility
* Green Haven Correctional Facility
* Sing Sing

|

North Carolina|

* Central Prison

Ohio|

* Southern Ohio Correctional Facility

Oklahoma|

* Oklahoma State Penitentiary

Oregon|

* Oregon State Penitentiary

Pennsylvania|

* State Correctional Institution – Rockview

South Carolina|

* Broad River Correctional Institution

| Chamber closed|

* South Carolina Penitentiary

|

South Dakota|

* South Dakota State Penitentiary

Tennessee|

* Riverbend Maximum Security Institution

| Chamber closed|

* Tennessee State Prison

|

Texas|

* Huntsville Unit

Utah|

* Utah State Correctional Facility

| Chamber closed|

* Utah State Prison

|

Virginia|

| Chamber closed|

* Greensville Correctional Center

|

Washington|

| Chamber closed|

* Washington State Penitentiary

|

West Virginia|

| Chamber closed|

* West Virginia Penitentiary

|

Wyoming|

* Wyoming State Penitentiary

District and insular area prisons

Category

* v
* t
* e

Huntsville, Texas

Texas Department of
Criminal Justice|

* James H. Byrd Jr. Unit
* Goree Unit
* C. A. Holliday Transfer Facility
* Huntsville Unit
* Wynne Unit
* Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery

Education|

| Primary & secondary
schools|

* Huntsville ISD
* Huntsville HS

|

Colleges and universities|

* Sam Houston State University (See template)
* Lone Star College

Media|

* The Huntsville Item

Transportation|

* Huntsville Regional Airport

Culture|

* Texas Prison Museum
* Texas Prison Rodeo

This list is incomplete.
The Ellis Unit and W.J. Estelle Unit prisons have "Huntsville, Texas" street addresses but are north of the city limits.
Karolyi Ranch has a "Huntsville, Texas" street address but is southest of the city limits.
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