The H. H. Coffield Unit (CO) is a Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison for men in unincorporated Anderson County, Texas. The prison, near Tennessee Colony, is along Farm to Market Road 2054. The unit, on a plot of land, is co-located with Beto, Gurney, Michael, and Powledge units."Coffield Unit." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on August 23, 2010. With a capacity of 4,139 inmates, Coffield is the TDCJ's largest prison.Williams, Vergil L. Dictionary of American Penology. Second Edition. Greenwood Publishing Group, 1996. 219. Retrieved from Google Books on August 23, 2010. , . Coffield opened in June 1965.
In 2011 the Stiles Unit metal products plant closed. Its operations were consolidated with those of Coffield and Powledge Unit.Ward, Mike. "Prison industry programs a victim of economic recession ." Austin American-Statesman. Sunday September 4, 2011. Retrieved on September 23, 2011.
Coffield has employee housing.Quan, Doris. "Man who escaped E. Texas prison through ventilation shaft is caught." The Dallas Morning News. July 8, 1993. Retrieved on August 27, 2010. "Prison officials believe that Mr Smith made his way to the roof at the Coffield Unit and ended up near the employee housing area about 1 am Wednesday"
In early 2019 Gateway Church opened its first prison campus inside Coffield.
Notable Inmates
Current:
Inmate NameRegister NumberStatusDetails Joshua Luke Bagwell 05759612 / 00815991 Serving a life sentence. Eligible for parole in 2036. One of three perpetrators of the 1996 rape and Murder of Heather Rich. The case experienced renewed attention after Bagwell, one of his co-defendants, and a few other inmates escaped custody in 2002, and after a 10 day manhunt were apprehended .Mel Hall06023953/0158138440 year sentence. Eligible for parole in 2031.Former Major League Baseball player (1981-92, 1996). Convicted of sexually assaulting two underage females.
Former: Billy Chemirmir (two time convicted murderer and alleged serial killer), killed in the prison on September 19, 2023, allegedly by Wyatt Busby, who was serving a 50 year sentence for murder in connection with the 2016 stabbing death of a man in the Houston area.
References
External links
"Coffield Unit." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Byrd, Sid Hawk. "Life and Death in a Cold, Lonely Cell." Texas Observer. Friday November 16, 2007.