Skyview Unit is a Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) state prison in Rusk, Texas; it is on Farm to Market Road 2972, west of Texas State Highway 69 North. It opened in July 1988."Skyview (SV)." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on March 31, 2016.
It is on a lot, co-located with the Hodge Unit. It has a capacity of 528 prisoners, most of whom live in dormitories.McVicker, Steve. "Cruel and Unusual." Dallas Observer. Thursday July 8, 1999. Retrieved on March 30, 2016.
The prison houses mentally ill inmates. Prison guards assigned to Skyview take special training to come to this prison. most prisoners stay for about 20-60 days before returning to a general purpose prison, but some stay long-term. In 1999, Steve McVicker of the Dallas Observer wrote that at Hodge and Skyview "both guards and prisoners seem more relaxed than their counterparts at other prisons". , unlike most TDCJ prisons, Skyview is air conditioned, so the prison administrators at that time turned away prisoners who they suspected were faking mental illnesses.
As of April 2020 there were 479 inmates.
Notable inmates Diane Zamora – convicted for the murder of Adrianne Jones Patrick Crusius – perpetrator of the 2019 El Paso Walmart shooting
References
External links "Skyview (SV)." Texas Department of Criminal Justice.