# Thomas Goree Unit

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Men's prison in Huntsville, Texas

Thomas Goree Unit Location within Texas Location Huntsville, Texas 30°40′26″N 95°30′55″W / 30.67389°N 95.51528°W / 30.67389; -95.51528 Status Operational Security class G1–G3]{, Administrative Segregation, Outside Trusty, Transient Capacity Unit: 1000 Trusty Camp: 321 Opened 1907 Managed by TDCJ Correctional Institutions Division Warden Cynthia Tilley Website www.tdcj.state.tx.us/unit_directory../gr.html

Aerial photograph of the Goree Unit, January 23, 1995, [U.S. Geological Survey](/source/U.S._Geological_Survey)

Topographical map of the Goree Unit, July 1, 1976, U.S. Geological Survey

The **Thomas Goree Unit** (**GR**) is a [Texas Department of Criminal Justice](/source/Texas_Department_of_Criminal_Justice) men's prison, located in [Huntsville, Texas](/source/Huntsville%2C_Texas), 4 miles (6.4 km) south of downtown Huntsville on [Texas State Highway 75](/source/Texas_State_Highway_75) South. The Goree Unit is located within Region I.[1] First opened in 1911, it served as the only women's correctional facility in Texas until 1982, after the women were moved to state prisons in [Gatesville](/source/Gatesville%2C_Texas). For a period Goree held the state's sole female death row inmate, until her conviction was changed to a non-capital offense. There was more than one death row female at Goree in 1979.

## History

The unit was named after Major [Thomas J. Goree](/source/T._J._Goree), who, in the late 19th century, served as a prison superintendent.[2] The unit was first established in 1907,[1] and it opened in 1911 as the **Goree State Farm for Women**, a women's prison. The facility had separate portions for White and African-American women. White and Hispanic women worked in the garment factory, while Black women worked in the fields.[3]

In the 1930s Goree included the main building, separate sets of dormitories for black and white prisoners, an orchard, a cannery, a barn, crop fields, a hen house, and a cemetery for prisoners who had not been taken by surviving relatives. The dormitories had bars bolted onto the windows. During that decade, 150 prisoners resided at Goree. The [Goree All Girl String Band](/source/Goree_All_Girl_String_Band), a group of prisoners from the unit, performed in the 1940s.[4]

Goree, within a short driving distance from the [Texas Department of Criminal Justice](/source/Texas_Department_of_Criminal_Justice) headquarters, had been rebuilt and expanded during the administrations of O. B. Ellis and [George Beto](/source/George_Beto). Robert Perkinson, author of *[Texas Tough: The Rise of America's Prison Empire](/source/Texas_Tough%3A_The_Rise_of_America's_Prison_Empire)*, said that Goree's main building "showcases a bygone nod to rehabilitation."[5] The main building has dormitories which face gardens. Instead of bars, the residential rooms use decorative latticework. A visitor stated that Goree appeared "more or less like a college dormitory."[5]

On one occasion Goree held a female death row prisoner, Mary Anderson,[6] Texas Department of Corrections (TDC)# 607. Anderson was sentenced to death on October 31, 1978,[7] but her death sentence was reversed in 1982.[8] The sentence was changed to murder and Anderson, who received a 50-year sentence, became TDC#285253. She was paroled on January 14, 1991.[7]

In the 1980s the state moved women prisoners to facilities in [Gatesville](/source/Gatesville%2C_Texas).[3] In 1982 Goree was converted into a men's prison. The prison authorities placed wire mesh on the dormitory windows. Prisoners are not permitted to be in the gardens. The prison gained a single perimeter fence with [concertina wire](/source/Concertina_wire); previously the area was unfenced.[5]

## Inmates

Male:

- David Ruíz (plaintiff of *[Ruiz v. Estelle](/source/Ruiz_v._Estelle)*)[9]

Female:

- [Candy Barr](/source/Candy_Barr)[10]

- [Goree All Girl String Band](/source/Goree_All_Girl_String_Band)

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Profile_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Profile_1-1) "[Goree Unit](http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/stat/unitdirectory/gr.htm)"; [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20100725201152/http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/stat/unitdirectory/gr.htm) 2010-07-25 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine). [Texas Department of Criminal Justice](/source/Texas_Department_of_Criminal_Justice). Retrieved on September 29, 2011.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** "[1995 Annual Report](https://web.archive.org/web/19980113083840/http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/tdcj1995.htm)." [Texas Department of Criminal Justice](/source/Texas_Department_of_Criminal_Justice). Retrieved on July 21, 2010.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-StateFarmforwomen_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-StateFarmforwomen_3-1) "[The Goree State Farm for Women](http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/exhibits/prisons/reform/goree.html)." [Texas State Library & Archives Commission](/source/Texas_State_Library_%26_Archives_Commission). Retrieved on July 18, 2010.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Hollandsworth1_4-0)** Hollandsworth, Skip. "O Sister, Where Art Thou?" *[Texas Monthly](/source/Texas_Monthly)*. May 2003. [1](http://www.texasmonthly.com/2003-05-01/feature.php). Retrieved on October 20, 2011.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Perkinson252_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Perkinson252_5-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Perkinson252_5-2) Perkinson, Robert. *[Texas Tough: The Rise of America's Prison Empire](/source/Texas_Tough%3A_The_Rise_of_America's_Prison_Empire)*. First Edition. [Metropolitan Books](/source/Metropolitan_Books), 2010. p. [252](https://books.google.com/books?id=HOxmcfIopugC&pg=PA252). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-8050-8069-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-8050-8069-8).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Jackson, Bruce and Diane Christian. *In This Timeless Time: Living and Dying on Death Row in America*. [University of North Carolina](/source/University_of_North_Carolina), 2012. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0807835390](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0807835390), 9780807835395. p. [143](https://books.google.com/books?id=PG7IEOzabuMC&pg=PA143).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-TDCJnolonger_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-TDCJnolonger_7-1) "[Offenders No Longer on Death Row](http://tdcj.state.tx.us/death_row/dr_offenders_no_longer_on_dr.html)." [Texas Department of Criminal Justice](/source/Texas_Department_of_Criminal_Justice). Retrieved on January 25, 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-OSheap340_8-0)** O'Shea, Kathleen A. *Women and the Death Penalty in the United States, 1900-1998*. [Greenwood Publishing Group](/source/Greenwood_Publishing_Group), 1999. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [027595952X](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/027595952X), 9780275959524. p. [340](https://books.google.com/books?id=YvdKyEJo0osC&pg=PA340).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Perkinson251_9-0)** Perkinson, Robert. *[Texas Tough: The Rise of America's Prison Empire](/source/Texas_Tough%3A_The_Rise_of_America's_Prison_Empire)*. First Edition. [Metropolitan Books](/source/Metropolitan_Books), 2010. p. [251](https://books.google.com/books?id=HOxmcfIopugC&pg=PA251). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-8050-8069-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-8050-8069-8).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** "[Strip-teaser Candy Barr given parole](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ERpLAAAAIBAJ&sjid=4SINAAAAIBAJ&pg=4464,2855964&dq=candy-barr+goree&hl=en)." *[The Press-Courier](/source/The_Press-Courier)*. Saturday March 25, 1963. Page 20. Retrieved from [Google News](/source/Google_News) (1 of 10) on October 20, 2011.

## External links

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

- [Goree Unit](http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/unit_directory/gr.html)

- "[Goree Women's Prison](http://archive.poyi.org/items/show/5035)." Pictures of the Year Archive - Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute at the [Missouri School of Journalism](/source/Missouri_School_of_Journalism)

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)

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 and secondary schools Huntsville ISD Huntsville HS Colleges and universities Sam Houston State University (See template) Lone Star College Defunct schools Bishop Ward Media The Houstonian The Huntsville Item Transportation Huntsville Regional Airport Culture Oakwood Cemetery 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 south of the city limits. Sam Houston Industrial and Training School was nearby in rural Galilee.

v t e Prisons for women in the United States This list template only include facilities for post-trial long-term confinement of adult females and juvenile females sentenced as adults, of one or two years or more (referred to as "prisons" in the United States, while the word "jail" normally refers to short-term confinement facilities) Federal facilities Federal Bureau of Prisons Federal Prison Camp, Alderson Federal Correctional Institution, Aliceville Federal Prison Camp, Bryan Federal Medical Center, Carswell Federal Correctional Institution, Danbury Federal Correctional Institution, Dublin United States Penitentiary, Hazelton Federal Correctional Institution, Tallahassee Federal Correctional Institution, Waseca Converted into men's facilities Federal Reformatory for Women in Seagoville Department of Defense Naval Consolidated Brig, Miramar State prisons Alabama Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women Montgomery Women's Facility Alaska Hiland Mountain Correctional Center Arizona Arizona State Prison Complex – Perryville Arkansas McPherson Unit Hawkins Center for Women Closed Arkansas State Farm for Women Women removed from facility Cummins Unit Tucker Unit California California Institution for Women Central California Women's Facility Folsom Women’s Facility Converted into men's facilities Valley State Prison for Women Colorado Denver Women's Correctional Facility La Vista Correctional Facility Closed Colorado Women's Correctional Facility Connecticut York Correctional Institution Delaware Delores J. Baylor Women's Correctional Institution Florida Lowell Correctional Institution Closed Broward Correctional Institution Women removed from facility Union Correctional Institution Georgia Arrendale State Prison Pulaski State Prison Converted into men's facilities Georgia Women's Correctional Institution Closed Metro State Prison Hawaii Women's Community Correctional Center Idaho Pocatello Women's Correctional Center South Boise Women's Correctional Center Illinois Decatur Correctional Center Logan Correctional Center Closed Dwight Correctional Center Indiana Indiana Women's Prison Rockville Correctional Facility Iowa Iowa Correctional Institution for Women Kansas Topeka Correctional Facility Kentucky Kentucky Correctional Institution for Women Ross-Cash Center Converted into men's facilities Western Kentucky Correctional Complex Closed and reopened as men's facility Otter Creek Correctional Center (reopened as Southeast State Correctional Complex) Louisiana Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women Women removed from facility Louisiana State Penitentiary Maine Maine Correctional Center Women's Center Maryland Maryland Correctional Institution for Women Massachusetts Massachusetts Correctional Institution – Framingham Michigan Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility Minnesota Minnesota Correctional Facility – Shakopee Mississippi Central Mississippi Correctional Facility Delta Correctional Facility Women removed from facility Mississippi State Penitentiary Missouri Women's Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center Chillicothe Correctional Center Montana Montana Women's Prison Nebraska Nebraska Correctional Center for Women Nevada Florence McClure Women's Correctional Center New Hampshire New Hampshire State Prison for Women New Jersey Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women New Mexico Women removed from facility Northwest New Mexico Correctional Facility (formerly New Mexico Women's Correctional Facility) New York Albion Correctional Facility Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women Taconic Correctional Facility Closed Bayview Correctional Facility Beacon Correctional Facility North Carolina North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women Swannanoa Correctional Center for Women Eastern Correctional Institution Closed Black Mountain Correctional Center for Women Fountain Correctional Center for Women North Piedmont Correctional Center for Women North Dakota Dakota Women's Correctional and Rehabilitation Center Ohio Ohio Reformatory for Women Oklahoma Mabel Bassett Correctional Center Oregon Coffee Creek Correctional Facility Pennsylvania State Correctional Institution – Cambridge Springs State Correctional Institution – Muncy Rhode Island Gloria McDonald Awaiting Trial Maximum and Medium Security Facility Dorothea Dix Minimum Security Facility / Bernadette Building South Carolina Camille Griffin Graham Correctional Institution Leath Correctional Institution South Dakota South Dakota Women's Prison Tennessee Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center (formerly Tennessee Prison for Women) Texas Christina Crain Unit Hilltop Unit William P. Hobby Unit Dr. Lane Murray Unit Patrick O'Daniel Unit Converted into men's facilities Eastham Unit Goree Unit Johnson Farm Women removed from unit Huntsville Unit Utah Utah State Correctional Facility Closed Utah State Prison Vermont Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility Closed Dale Woman's Facility Virginia Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women Virginia Correctional Center for Women Washington Mission Creek Corrections Center for Women Washington Corrections Center for Women Closed Pine Lodge Corrections Center for Women West Virginia Lakin Correctional Center and Jail Women removed from facility Pruntytown Correctional Center Wisconsin Taycheedah Correctional Institution Wyoming Wyoming Women's Center District and insular area prisons District of Columbia See Federal Bureau of Prisons Closed Lorton Reformatory Guam Women's Facility Northern Mariana Islands Northern Marianas Prison Puerto Rico Escuela Industrial para Mujeres Vega Alta U.S. Virgin Islands Golden Grove Adult Correctional Facility See also: Incarceration of women in the United States Note: Adults who commit felonies in the District of Columbia are sent to Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) facilities

Authority control databases: Geographic MusicBrainz place

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Thomas Goree Unit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Goree_Unit) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Goree_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.