The Beauford H. Jester Complex, formerly the Jester State Prison Farm, refers to a complex of Texas Department of Criminal Justice prisons for men in unincorporated Fort Bend County, Texas. Individually they are

Jester I Unit The Beauford H. Jester I Unit is a Texas Department of Criminal Justice substance abuse felony punishment facility (SAFPF) located in unincorporated Fort Bend County, Texas. The unit is situated at Harlem Road and Ken Drive, on about of land, co- ...

Carol Vance Unit Carol S. Vance Unit (J2, previously the Harlem II Unit and the Jester II Unit) is a Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) prison located in unincorporated central Fort Bend County, Texas. The unit, located in flatlands, is along U.S. High ...

(Jester II Unit),

Jester III Unit The Beauford H. Jester III Unit (J3) is a Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) prison farm located in unincorporated Fort Bend County, Texas, United States. The unit is along U.S. Highway 90A, east of central Richmond. The unit, which op ...

, and Wayne Scott Unit (Jester IV Unit). Texas State Highway 99 (Grand Parkway) bisects the prison property.Ward, Mike.
As prison closes, could others be next?
''

Austin American-Statesman The ''Austin American-Statesman'' is the major daily newspaper for Austin, the capital city of Texas. It is owned by Gannett. The paper prints Associated Press, ''New York Times'', ''The Washington Post'', and ''Los Angeles Times'' internation ...

''. Thursday August 11, 2011. Updated on Friday August 12, 2011. Retrieved on September 23, 2011. Cornfields surround the Jester property.Bookman, Marc. "How Crazy Is Too Crazy to Be Executed?" '' Mother Jones''. Tuesday February 12, 2013
3
Retrieved on March 23, 2013. A portion of the property is within the Pecan Grove CDP.

History

Previously the complex was known as Harlem, the Harlem Prison Farm, or the Harlem Plantation. The state of Texas purchased the prison farm property in 1885 or 1886. Previously several private plantations based here used convict leasing for labor.Jester State Prison Farm
" ''

Handbook of Texas The ''Handbook of Texas'' is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). History The original ''Handbook'' was the brainchild of TSHA President Wal ...

''. Retrieved on October 6, 2010. This system has been called "slavery by another name", as lessees operated with little oversight by the state as to their treatment of convicts. The plantations included the Harlem Plantation and several adjacent tracts of land.Convict Leasing and State Account Farming (1883-1909)
"

Texas State Library and Archives The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) refers to the agency in the state of Texas that assists the people of Texas to effectively use information, archival resources, public records and library materials to improve their lives, th ...

. Retrieved on April 29, 2011. The state essentially assigned room and board to employers who leased convicts; it had few prisons until late in the 19th century. In 1885 the state opened Harlem I Unit and Harlem II Unit. From July 20, 1888 to August 31, 1907 a post office was located on the prison farm. After the post office closed, the post office in

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

, Texas handled mail for the prison farm. In 1908 the State of Texas bought the Riddick Plantation, which was next to the Harlem property. The state incorporated that property into the Harlem Farm. In September 1913 several prison guards in one of the units punished twelve African-American prisoners by placing them in a long, wide, and high enclosure called "The Hole." The temperature in the enclosure went over , and convicts asked the guards to let them out. The guards did not let them out, and 8 of the 12 convicts died of suffocation and heat. In 1925 the prison farm had of land. During that year it had 260 prisoners. The complex was renamed in the 1950s after

Governor of Texas The governor of Texas heads the state government of Texas. The governor is the leader of the executive and legislative branch of the state government and is the commander in chief of the Texas Military. The current governor is Greg Abbott, who ...

Beauford H. Jester Beauford Halbert Jester (January 12, 1893 – July 11, 1949) was an American politician who was the 36th governor of Texas, serving from 1947 until his death in office in 1949. He is the only Texas governor ever to have died in office. Jeste ...

. A spur track of the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway opened at the prison farm to load and unload sugarcane that was produced at the farm. The railroad line closed in 1929. The state expanded the facilities, opening

in July 1982. Jester IV Unit opened in November 1993. Jester IV Unit was renamed to Wayne Scott Unit in 2021.

Representation in other media

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...

's first theatrical release, '' The Sugarland Express'' (1974), was set in and partially filmed at the prison complex.

Gallery

File:JesterFarmAerial.PNG, Aerial view of the Jester State Prison Farm, January 27, 2002,

U.S. Geographic Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, an ...

File:JesterHarlemPrisonFarmFortBendCoTx.png, Topographical map of the Jester Prison Farm, the Central Prison Farm, and Sugar Land Regional Airport, July 1, 1990, U.S. Geological Survey

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jester, Beauford H. Complex 1885 establishments in Texas Prisons in Fort Bend County, Texas