From 1928 through 1952, death row was housed in the Huntsville Unit’s East Building. The Huntsville Unit’s electric chair was housed in a building by the east wall from 1952 until 1965.

In 1965, the death row inmates were transferred from the Huntsville Unit to the Ellis Unit. Till 1999, death row was housed at the Ellis Unit. The TDCJ relocated death row to the Polunsky Unit in 1999. Death row detainees are kept segregated in single-person cells with windows at the Polunsky Unit. Inmates on death row are also individually rebuilt. On death row, inmates are fed normally and have access to books, legal resources, and writing and reading materials. Some prisoners on death row may have a radio, depending on their degree of imprisonment.The women on death row are housed at the Mountain View Unit. Inmates on death row do not have regular TDCJ-ID numbers; they have special death row numbers.

Is Death Row still legal in the US?

In the US, the death sentence is an accepted legal sanction at the federal level, in 27 states, and in American Samoa. Additionally, it is a sanction for several military infractions. Washington, D.C., as well as 23 other states have abolished the death penalty.

Practically, the death penalty is only used in cases of serious murder. Even though it is a sanctioned punishment in 27 states, only 20 of them have the authority to carry out death sentences; the other seven, along with the federal government, are under various sorts of moratoria.