Texas’ Biggest Prison Is Right Here in East Texas

TEXAS -- Everything is bigger in Texas, right? That apparently includes some of our prisons. One East Texas facility is not only the state's largest prison, but it sits on a sprawling piece of property that is home to several other prison units, too.

Where Is the H.H. Coffield Unit?

The H.H. Coffield Unit is a men's prison in Anderson County, located along FM Road 2054 in Tennessee Colony, Texas, a little over an hour from Tyler, Texas, and 2.5 hours from Houston, Texas.

It opened in June 1965, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, and is the department's largest prison. It houses inmates in custody levels ranging from G1 through G4, along with security detention and outside trusty classifications.

The Coffield Unit is part of a 20,528-acre complex shared with the Beto, Gurney, Michael, and Powledge units. TDCJ currently lists Coffield's capacity at 4,139 inmates and says the unit has 518 employees, including 355 security employees.

What More Do We Know About Texas' Largest Prison?

A branch of Gateway Church, based in Dallas, Texas, opened on-site in 2019. According to the TDCJ website, the Coffield Unit's senior warden is Jamadre Enge.

TDCJ also says agricultural operations take place across the Coffield, Beto, Gurney, Michael, and Powledge units, including a feed mill and grain storage, cow/calf operation, poultry laying operation, swine operations, a pork processing plant, security horses, security pack canines, edible and field crops, and a unit garden.

A Look Inside the Massive East Texas Prison Complex

If you'd like more information regarding the H.H. Coffield Unit in Tennessee Colony, Texas, you can find that here, including its address and phone number.