The approximately 54.36-acre (22.00 ha) facility, near downtown Huntsville, is operated by the Correctional Institutions Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

[8] After the Civil War ended, Huntsville Unit was the only prison in the former Confederate States of America to remain.

[7] Originally women in the Texas Prison System were housed in the Huntsville Unit.

[9] Beginning in 1883 women were housed in the Johnson Farm, a privately owned cotton plantation near Huntsville.

[17] Three armed inmates, Fred Carrasco, Ignacio Cuevas, and Rudy Dominquez, held several hostages in the education department.

[27] The Huntsville Unit serves as one of the TDCJ's regional release centers for male prisoners.

Male prisoners who have detainers, are classified as sex offenders, have electronic monitoring imposed by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, and/or have certain special conditions of the Super Intensive Supervision Program (SISP) are released from the Huntsville Unit, regardless of their counties of conviction, residences, and/or approved release counties.

[28] Rick Thaler, the director of the Correctional Institutions Division, predicted in 2010 that the Huntsville Unit, which serves as the regional release center for Greater Houston, will remain the TDCJ's largest release center.

Starting in September 2010 the TDCJ instead began to use regional release centers for male prisoners.

The chair now resides at the Texas Prison Museum, located on Interstate 45 on the north side of Huntsville which features displays of historical items from the prison system, including shanks and other items confiscated from inmates.

On one occasion the prison used a facility below the current warden's office as a death row for women.

The Texas Death House is located at the northeast corner of the Walls Unit, just below the #1 picket.

[18][page needed] There is no law prohibiting multiple executions in a single day, but this has not happened since August 2000.