The French M. Robertson Unit is a maximum-security state prison located on

Farm to Market Road 3522 A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...

in Abilene,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, northeast of Downtown Abilene in Jones County.Robertson Unit
." ''

Texas Department of Criminal Justice The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is a department of the government of the U.S. state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails, ...

''. Retrieved on July 23, 2010. The prison for males, classified as a "prison," is operated by the Correctional Institutions Division of the

, administered as within Region VI. The Robertson Unit has space for 1,244 inmates in General Population, plus a large Restricted Housing facility. The Unit has a large garment manufacturing facility, which makes garments for several other State and local corrections facilities. Also notable, is the Robertson Unit's kennel of tracking dogs, and horses for mounted operations. The unit is named after French M. Robertson, a lawyer and oil businessman from

Abilene, Texas Abilene ( ) is a city in Taylor and Jones Counties in Texas, United States. Its population was 125,182 at the 2020 census, making it the 27th-most populous city in the state of Texas. It is the principal city of the Abilene metropolitan statis ...

. "The unit was named after French M. Robertson, an Abilene lawyer and oilman." Beginning in September 2010, the prison serves as a regional release unit for prisoners exiting the TDCJ.New regional release centers now operating across state
."

. September–October 2010. Retrieved on March 1, 2011.

History

The unit opened in November 1992. In 1996 a correctional officer fired a bullet, which he described as a "warning" shot, towards an inmate that he said was running from an outside work squad. The bullet hit the inmate between the eyes, killing him. No outside investigation occurred. The Robertson warden declared the "Officer of the Year" award over, giving it to the officer who shot the prisoner. On July 16, 2016, Correctional Officer Mari Anne Johnson was beaten to death by an inmate. Her body was found near the kitchen; she had also suffered an injury to the throat. The inmate, Dillion Compton, who was serving time for child rape, was sentenced to death for the murder in 2018.

Notable prisoners

References

External links

Robertson Unit

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robertson, French M. Unit Prisons in Texas Buildings and structures in Abilene, Texas 1992 establishments in Texas