The Texas prison system was established in 1848 with 3 inmates. The Walls unit was completed in 1850. The present brick facade was done in 1942 and were manufactured at the old Harlem Unit (which is now the Jester unit in Fort Bend County). The walls of this prison are 2 to 3 feet in thickness and are 32 feet high. The unit houses the execution chamber and it houses approximately 1500 inmates today. All inmates are released from this unit through the entrance on 12th Street and are given $50, a set of prison made civilian clothes and a bus voucher.