# Cleveland Unit

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Prison for men in Cleveland, Texas, US

Oliver J. Bell Unit Location within Texas Location 901 E 5th St Cleveland, Texas 77327 30°21′54″N 95°04′22″W / 30.36500°N 95.07278°W / 30.36500; -95.07278 Status Operational Security class G1, G2 Capacity 520 Opened September 1989 Former name Cleveland Correctional Center Managed by Texas Department of Criminal Justice (as of 2023) Warden Tina Tompkins Website www.tdcj.texas.gov/unit_directory/cv.html

The **Oliver J. Bell Unit** is a prison for men in [Cleveland, Texas](/source/Cleveland%2C_Texas), operated by [Texas Department of Criminal Justice](/source/Texas_Department_of_Criminal_Justice) (TDCJ). The roughly 40-acre (16 ha) facility is .25 mi (0.40 km) north of downtown Cleveland. The TDCJ refers to the prison as the "Oliver J. Bell Unit",[1] while [GEO Group](/source/GEO_Group), the former operator, referred to it as the Cleveland Correctional Center.[2] The facility is along [U.S. Route 59](/source/U.S._Route_59).

## History

[Corrections Corporation of America](/source/Corrections_Corporation_of_America) (CCA) proposed a prerelease center along Atascocita Road in the [Humble, Texas](/source/Humble%2C_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 ($24,000,000 when adjusted for inflation), 500-bed prerelease unit, officially opened on September 28, 1989. As of that year, it was the fourth of the four privately operated prisons to be built in Texas.[3]

Cleveland became a GEO Group facility on January 1, 1999.[2] As of September 1, 2015. MTC took over operations of the Cleveland facility.[4] In September 2023, The Texas Department of Criminal Justice took over the full operation of the Bell Unit.

Cleveland prison renamed the Oliver J. Bell Unit in honor of former TBCJ chairman in March 2020. [https://www.tdcj.texas.gov/unit_directory/cv.html](https://www.tdcj.texas.gov/unit_directory/cv.html)

## Operations

The 40-acre (16 ha) site, located along the [Piney Woods](/source/Piney_Woods) along U.S. 59, has a 124,000-square-foot (11,500 m2) prison facility. Cindy Horswell of the *[Houston Chronicle](/source/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.[5] The prison accepts minimum-security male prisoners who are within three years of parole.[2]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Cleveland_1-0)** "[Cleveland Unit](https://www.tdcj.texas.gov/unit_directory/cv.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20100725200954/http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/stat/unitdirectory/cv.htm) 2010-07-25 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine)." [Texas Department of Criminal Justice](/source/Texas_Department_of_Criminal_Justice). Retrieved on May 10, 2010.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-GEO_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-GEO_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-GEO_2-2) "[Bell Unit](http://www.thegeogroupinc.com/facility.asp?fid=7) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20110717002537/http://www.thegeogroupinc.com/facility.asp?fid=7) 2011-07-17 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine)." [GEO Group](/source/GEO_Group). Retrieved on October 2, 2010.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Horswellprivate_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Horswellprivate_3-1) Horswell, Cindy. "[Cleveland prison puts Texas on top in private facilities](https://web.archive.org/web/20121019010845/http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1989_653305)." *[Houston Chronicle](/source/Houston_Chronicle)*. Friday September 29, 1989. A26. Retrieved on May 10, 2010.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Texas Department of Criminal Justice Awards MTC Contracts to Operate Lockhart and Cleveland Correctional Centers"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160911203713/https://www.mtctrains.com/texas-department-criminal-justice-awards-mtc-contracts-operate-lockhart-and-cleveland-correctional). *Management & Training Corporation*. Archived from [the original](https://www.mtctrains.com/texas-department-criminal-justice-awards-mtc-contracts-operate-lockhart-and-cleveland-correctional) on 11 September 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Horswell, Cindy. "[For hard-hit economy of Liberty County, crime officially pays](https://web.archive.org/web/20120111182913/http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1995_1283149)." *[Houston Chronicle](/source/Houston_Chronicle)*. Thursday June 29, 1995. A30. Retrieved on July 23, 2010.

[https://bluebonnetnews.com/2020/03/09/cleveland-prison-renamed-the-oliver-j-bell-unit-in-honor-of-former-tbcj-chairman/](https://bluebonnetnews.com/2020/03/09/cleveland-prison-renamed-the-oliver-j-bell-unit-in-honor-of-former-tbcj-chairman/)

## External links

- [Texas portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Texas)

- "[Bell Unit](https://www.tdcj.texas.gov/unit_directory/cv.html)." [Texas Department of Criminal Justice](/source/Texas_Department_of_Criminal_Justice).

- "[Cleveland Correctional Center](https://web.archive.org/web/20110717002537/http://www.thegeogroupinc.com/facility.asp?fid=7)." [GEO Group](/source/GEO_Group).

v t e 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 O'Daniel♀ Murray♀ Pack Robertson Private Bridgeport Cleveland Diboll Estes Kyle Coleman♀ (formerly 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 Bradshaw 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)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Cleveland Unit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_Unit) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_Unit?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.