LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – The Texas Department of Criminal Justice has reopened the Giles W. Dalby Unit in Garza County, marking the end of a more than year-long closure that left more than 100 people without work.
It celebrated the grand reopening with a ribbon cutting, alongside Garza County Judge Lee Norman, County Commissioner Giles W. Dalby, Jr., and other local leaders Tuesday afternoon outside of Post.
“We’re extremely excited. We have been very proud of the progress we’ve made with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice along this year of looking at it, planning, talking about it,” Judge Norman said.
The previous operator ended its contract with the facility in September 2024. Through the legislature, the state set aside $110 million for TDCJ to purchase the facility. That purchase became official in the fall, and inmates began moving in last month.
Warden Adam Gonzales says approximately 900 of the expected 1,900 inmates have moved in, so far. He said the unit will provide relief to neighboring facilities, particularly for inmates who require a climate-controlled environment.
“It was just a great opportunity to be part of history, first of all, form the staff to what we wanted, and the offender population just gives some new incentives, programming, different avenues of just ability for self-growth,” he said.
Gonzales says the partnership with TDCJ should provide some more consistency at the unit, saying facilities within the agency aren’t known for closing down.
“They might get idled or temporarily where they don’t house the offender population,” Gonzales said. “But as things with society change, incarceration, they come back online. And right now there’s a need for housing and we’re here.”
The unit will focus on helping inmates battling substance use and addiction through a Recovery Housing Opportunity Program. Inmates will learn from peer recovery support specialists, like Justin Letts.
“We’re here to give hope to the hopeless,” Letts said. “We’re here to be a light in the darkness. Where my past is actually my resume. Where everything I’ve done in my life, my lived experience, is the credentials to go out and reach people and meet them where they’re at.”
Gonzales said about 80 correctional positions remain vacant, along with openings for non-uniform and medical staff positions. Many of the unit’s previous employees returned to work at the facility, though, something Dalby Jr. was grateful for.
“One of my main things was like, you know, if there’s any way possible, I’d sure like you to keep my people,” Dalby said. “And yet here we are. You’ve kept my people. You’ve kept your word. It’s just truly a blessing to Garza County,” he said.
Judge Norman said the facility’s reopening reflects a commitment to the community rather than financial gain.
“When I went to work and was elected my first position as a commissioner in ‘93, Judge Dalby told me we’re not doing this for the money,” Norman said. “And that was an important statement. Took me a while to realize, but today we don’t do it for the money. We do it for these workers here, the citizens of the county. How can we maintain what is our home? That’s what he emulated in his time. We’ve tried to carry on.”
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