Gib Lewis Unit a.k.a. Lewis Unit is a

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

state prison located approximately one mile east of

Woodville, Texas Woodville is a town in Tyler County, Texas, United States. The town is intersected by three U.S. highways: U.S. Highway 69, U.S. Highway 190, and U.S. Highway 287. The population was 2,403 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Tyler Coun ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. The prison is located on approximately 360 acres and is operated by the

Texas Department of Criminal Justice The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is a department of the government of the U.S. state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails ...

Correctional Institutions Division administered within Region I."Gib Lewis Unit", ''TDCJ''
/ref>

History

The unit was opened in August 1990, and is named after

Gib Lewis Gibson Donald Lewis, known as Gib Lewis (born August 22, 1936), is an American politician and political consultant from Fort Worth, Texas. He was the first person to be elected five times as Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, but he ...

, a politician from

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. Accord ...

Facility

There are several different operations within the Lewis Unit including a woodworking shop and agricultural operations for security horses, security pack canines and a unit garden. There are also educational programs including a literacy program, adult basic education and

GED The General Educational Development (GED) tests are a group of four subject tests which, when passed, provide certification that the test taker has United States or Canadian high school-level academic skills. It is an alternative to the US high ...

program. Career and technology programs include electrical trades, heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration, mill and cabinet making. Also offered are substance abuse education, support groups, mentoring, religious and faith based studies and activities through the support of

volunteer Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

initiatives.

References

{{TDCJ-CID prisons Prisons in Texas Buildings and structures in Tyler County, Texas 1990 establishments in Texas