Wednesday’s murder of correctional officer Timothy Davison by an inmate serving a life sentence at the Telford unit has Bowie County citizens realizing just how dangerous some inmates housed in their community can be.
The Telford unit located on Highway 98 near New Boston, Texas was opened in 1995. The prison is located on approximately 1,200 acres and employees 706 people.
According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice the maximum capacity of the prison is 2,872 offenders. According to the Texas Tribune Texas prison data app telford is the 11th largest prison in Texas by number of prisoners.
The top three crimes committed by prisoners at Telford are aggravated robbery, burglary of a habitation, and murder.
Over half the offenders at the Telford Unit are serving sentences longer than 20 years.
The prison holds prisoners of all classifications from G1-G5, Administrative Segregation, and Safekeeping. According to TDCJ director of public information Jason Clark the inmate that killed Davison was housed in Administrative Segregation at the time of the attack.
According to the TDCJ the inmate has been transferred to the Coffield Unit near Palestine, TX.
| Custody Level | Description |
|---|---|
| Administrative Segregation | Offenders who must be separated from the general prison population due to danger to either other offenders or staff, or that are in danger from other offenders. May also be given to offenders who are members of a security threat group. Offenders who have this classification generally only leave their cell for showers and limited recreation. |
| General Population Level 5 | Offenders who have a previous record of assaults or aggressive behavior generally receive this classification. They must live in cells and may not work outside of the security fence area without armed supervision. |
| General Population Level 4 | This security classification means the offender must live in a cell (with a few exceptions), and may work outside the security fence if under direct armed supervision. If the offender is a J4 or state jail offender they may be housed in a designated dorm. |
| General Population Level 3 | Offenders under G3 classification may live in a dorm or cell inside the main building of the unit. These offenders may work inside the perimeter fence, and may work outside the fence under direct armed supervision. |
| General Population Level 2 | These offenders may live in dorms or cells outside of the main building of the unit but within the security fence. They may work inside the perimeter fence and outside with direct armed supervision |
| General Population Level 1 | This classification allows the offender to live in dorms outside the security fence and to work outside the security fence with periodic unarmed supervision.` |
| Safekeeping | An added level of protection from other offenders, can be added to any security classification. Offenders with safekeeping status are eligible for the same general and contact visits as allowed by their classification. |
