Mark W. Michael Unit
| Location | 2664 FM 2054 Tennessee Colony, Texas 75886 |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 31°47′39″N 95°54′12″W / 31.7942667°N 095.9034500°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Security class | G1-G5, Administrative Segregation, Outside Trusty, Safekeeping |
| Capacity | Unit: 2,984 Trusty Camp: 321 |
| Opened | September 1987 |
| Managed by | TDCJ Correctional Institutions Division |
| Warden | Veronica Lilly |
| County | Anderson County |
| Country | United States |
| Website | www |
The Mark W. Michael Unit (MI) is a Texas Department of Criminal Justice men's prison located in unincorporated Anderson County, Texas. The unit is along Farm to Market Road 2054, 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Tennessee Colony. The unit, on 20,518 acres (8,303 ha) of land, is co-located with the Beto, Coffield, and Powledge prison units and the Gurney Transfer Unit. The unit is in proximity to Palestine and the Rusk ironworks, and it is in about a one-hour driving distance from Dallas.
The Michael Unit opened in September 1987. Texas officials referred to the facility as "model for the future." Robert Perkinson, author of Texas Tough: The Rise of America's Prison Empire, described Michael as "one of the meanest lockups" in Texas.