Violent Criminals Were Held At These 6 Deadly Texas Prisons

If you're from Texas you know how big the Lone Star State is. If you're not from around these parts, you'll find out pretty quickly that the highways and countryside can go on for what seems like forever.

Here in Texas, we have our share of bad guys as well as our share of prisons. Naturally, a prison is nowhere you want to be. Especially these. According to Only In Your State, there are a handful of deadly prisons that have held some pretty nasty people. Keep reading to find out which ones.

LOOK: VIOLENT CRIMINALS WERE HELD AT THESE 6 DEADLY PRISONS

Ellis Unit - Huntsville, Texas

At one point this prison was the site of men's death row and held some really bad men. Death row inmates were too numerous to mention. At the current time, this facility houses about 2000 inmates. There are no air conditioning units so the temperature can reach well over 90 degrees easily. Johnny Frank Garrett himself was executed here in 1992.

United States Penitentiary - Beaumont, Texas

This high-security prison has had two inmate murders on record, one fatal altercation, and other violent incidents. An inmate to note here is Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez who fired at least 8 rounds at the White House in 2011 in an attempt to assassinate then-President Barack Obama, who he believed was the antichrist.

Polunsky Unit - Livingston, Texas

This is one rough facility. It's been rated as one of the most dangerous prisons in the U.S. known for high violence. It's a death row unit that only has solitary cells where inmates spend 22 out of 24 hours each day. Now, that's intense. The Polunsky Unit is considered a "supermax" facility with the highest security. Inmates wear white jumpsuits with "DR" printed on the back.

John Montford Unit - Lubbock, Texas

The John Montford Unit is a psychiatric facility for men requiring mental health treatment and medical treatment. At present, it houses about 550 in the main unit. The most notable inmate here is Amarillo-born Charles Albright also known as the Eyeball Killer. He was convicted of killing one woman and suspected of killing two more in 1991. He died at the age of 87.

Huntsville Unit - Huntsville, Texas

Nicknamed the "Walls Unit", this is the oldest prison in the state opened in 1849. Although it's no longer used, the Huntsville unit was home to the Texas electric chair named "Ol' Sparky". The chair is on record for zapping over 300 inmates. Executions still take place here, however, the men's death row is at the Polunsky Unit. TV's Dog The Bounty Hunter served 18 months for murder at this prison.

Reeves County Detention Complex - Pecos, Texas

To round out this list is the Reeves County Detention Complex. This facility is different as it's a privately operated immigrant detention center. It was built in 1986 in an effort to relieve the overcrowding in federal detention centers and county jails. Medical conditions were severely substandard mainly due to its administration. It's believed for this reason that two nasty riots broke out in 2008 and then again in 2009. It's regarded as one of the worst prisons in the U.S. due to its high number of prisoners in long-term isolation.

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They say things are bigger in Texas and that sure includes the prison system. These are some ornery places that I'm certainly going to try and avoid like the plague. Although I'm glad there are secure places to house the nation's criminals, some are still roaming free. Keep scrolling to discover some unsolved cold cases right here in Texas.