TDCJ Becomes Hotspot for COVID-19

Over 115 Cases Reported at Beto Unit

By Will Johnson

Messenger Reporter

EAST TEXAS – There’s no denying the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is a major employer in both Anderson and Houston Counties. Prison facilities employ a significant number of workers and there are at least 20 prisons in the area to where people commute on a daily basis, including units in Huntsville, Rusk and Tennessee Colony.

While some of the prisons have not yet seen a case of COVID-19 quite a few others have. System-wide, as of Thursday, April 16, there were 31 pending tests. Of the other 531 tests given to offenders, there were 327 positive results and 204 negative results.

So far, for employees and contract staff, 158 people have tested positive for the virus while 647 tested negative. There are also 259 pending tests.

With limited social distancing for the prisoners, the close confines often times prevent correctional officers and TDCJ staff from adhering to the prescribed six feet away distance, which can allow COVID-19 to spread unchecked.

The inmates are confined to a particular unit so the virus is most likely brought in from the outside by a visitor or a TDCJ employee. Once inside the unit, the virus can spread rapidly from offender-to-offender, as well as to the TDCJ employees. At the end of their shifts, the correctional workers leave the unit where they work and return to the communities where they live, not knowing if they have been infected.

The inmates who have been tested fall into one of several categories designated by TDCJ administration.

According to the prison system’s website, these categories are:

Pending Test – COVID-19 test that has been administered at an outside medical facility or in a unit infirmary and it still pending results. Offender in medical isolation.
Negative Test – CONFIRMED negative COVID-19 test. Offenders returned to general population.
Positive Test – CONFIRMED positive COVID-19 test. Offender in medical isolation.
Medical Restriction – Used to separate and restrict the movement of well persons who may have been exposed to a communicable disease to see if they become ill. These people may have been exposed to a disease and do not know it, or they may have the disease but do not show symptoms. Medical restriction can help limit the spread of disease.
Medical Isolation – For people who are sick and contagious. Isolation is used to separate ill persons who have a communicable disease from those who are healthy. Isolation restricts the movement of ill persons to help stop the spread of disease.

Digging deeper into the numbers, there are six regions in the TDCJ system along with private facilities, a multi-use facility and parole confinement facilities.

Anderson County and Houston County fall in Region II and Region I, respectively.

In Region I there are 13 prison units, with one inside of Houston County and seven more relatively close to the county boundaries. These units are: Eastham; Ellis; Estelle; Ferguson; Goree; Holliday; Huntsville; and Wynne.

In Region II there are also 13 prison units, with five inside of Anderson County and two more relatively close to the county boundaries. These units are: Beto; Coffield; Gurney Transfer; Hodge DDP; Michael; Powledge; and Skyview Psychiatric.

There are also three private prisons Diboll, Moore, B and Bradshaw, along with the multi-use East Texas Treatment facility, which are relatively close to Anderson and Houston Counties.

Using the TDCJ categories of offender pending tests, negative tests, positive tests, medical restriction and medical isolation, the 19 area prisons showed the following results as of April 16.

In Region I:

Eastham Unit (Lovelady) – 0 pending; 1 negative test; 0 positive tests; 0 medical restriction; and medical isolation.
Ellis Unit (Huntsville area) – 1 pending; 3 negative tests; 0 positive tests; 106 medical restriction; and 1 medical isolation. There was also 1 TDCJ employee who tested positive for COVID-19.
Estelle Unit (Huntsville area) – 0 pending; 32 negative tests; 5 positive tests; 1,487 medical restriction; and 5 medical isolation. There was also 6 TDCJ employees who tested positive for COVID-19.
Ferguson Unit (Midway) – 0 pending; 0 negative tests; 0 positive tests; 0 medical restriction; and 0 medical isolation.
Goree Unit (Huntsville) – 0 pending; 1 negative tests; 2 positive tests; 62 medical restriction and 2 medical isolation.
Holliday Transfer (Huntsville) – 0 pending; 2 negative tests; 0 positive tests; 0 medical restriction; and 0 medical isolation. There was also 1 TDCJ employee who tested positive for COVID-19.
Huntsville Unit – 0 pending; 4 negative tests; 0 positive tests; 2 medical restriction; and 0 medical isolation.
Wynne Unit (Huntsville) – 1 pending; 4 negative tests; 38 positive tests; 1,830 medical restriction; and 39 medical isolation. There were also 14 TDCJ employee who tested positive for COVID-19.

In Region II:

Beto Unit (Palestine) – 0 pending; 15 negative tests; 118 positive tests; 2,346 medical restriction; and 118 medical isolation. There was also 1 TDCJ employee who tested positive for COVID-19.
Coffield Unit (Palestine area) – 0 pending; 2 negative tests; 0 positive tests; 2 medical restriction; and 0 medical isolation.
Gurney Transfer (Palestine area) – 0 pending; 1 negative tests; 1 positive tests; 81 medical restriction; and 1 medical isolation.
Hodge DDP Unit (Rusk) – 0 pending; 1 negative tests; 0 positive tests; 0 medical restriction; and 0 medical isolation.
Michael Unit (Palestine area) – 0 pending; 4 negative tests; 0 positive tests; 0 medical restriction; and 0 medical isolation.
Powledge Unit (Palestine) – 0 pending; 5 negative tests; 0 positive tests; 0 medical restriction; and 0 medical isolation.
Skyview Psychiatric Unit (Rusk) – 0 pending; 1 negative tests; 0 positive tests; 0 medical restriction; and 0 medical isolation.

In Private Prisons:

Diboll (Diboll) – 0 pending; 1 negative tests; 0 positive tests; 0 medical restriction; and 0 medical isolation.
Moore, B (Overton) – 0 pending; 0 negative tests; 0 positive tests; 2 medical restriction; and 0 medical isolation.
Bradshaw (Henderson) – 0 pending; 2 negative tests; 0 positive tests; 7 medical restriction; and 0 medical isolation.
ETT (Henderson) – 0 pending; 4 negative tests; 0 positive tests; 7 medical restriction; and 0 medical isolation. There was also 1 TDCJ employee who tested positive for COVID-19.

Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].