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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re extremely excited. We have been very proud of the progress we\u2019ve made with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice along this year of looking at it, planning, talking about it,\u201d Judge Norman said.<\/p>\n
The previous operator ended its contract<\/a> with the facility in September 2024. Through the legislature, the state set aside<\/a> $110 million for TDCJ to purchase the facility. That purchase became official in the fall, and inmates began moving in last month.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cIt 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Gonzales says the partnership with TDCJ should provide some more consistency at the unit, saying facilities within the agency aren\u2019t known for closing down.<\/p>\n \u201cThey might get idled or temporarily where they don\u2019t house the offender population,\u201d Gonzales said. \u201cBut as things with society change, incarceration, they come back online. And right now there\u2019s a need for housing and we\u2019re here.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re here to give hope to the hopeless,\u201d Letts said. \u201cWe\u2019re here to be a light in the darkness. Where my past is actually my resume. Where everything I\u2019ve done in my life, my lived experience, is the credentials to go out and reach people and meet them where they\u2019re at.\u201d<\/p>\n Gonzales said about 80 correctional positions remain vacant, along with openings for non-uniform and medical staff positions. Many of the unit\u2019s previous employees returned to work at the facility, though, something Dalby Jr. was grateful for.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of my main things was like, you know, if there\u2019s any way possible, I\u2019d sure like you to keep my people,\u201d Dalby said. \u201cAnd yet here we are. You\u2019ve kept my people. You\u2019ve kept your word. It\u2019s just truly a blessing to Garza County,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Judge Norman said the facility\u2019s reopening reflects a commitment to the community rather than financial gain.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I went to work and was elected my first position as a commissioner in \u201893, Judge Dalby told me we\u2019re not doing this for the money,\u201d Norman said. \u201cAnd that was an important statement. Took me a while to realize, but today we don\u2019t 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\u2019s what he emulated in his time. We\u2019ve tried to carry on.\u201d<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 KCBD. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – The Texas Department of Criminal Justice has reopened the Giles W. 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