252
Number of jails in Texas, according to the National Institute of Corrections
1849
Year the state penitentiary at Huntsville opened, lightening the workload at county jails
48.75
Size, in square feet, of the high-security cells in the Gonzales County Jail
of nascent frontier justice across the state. Although the first facilities were primitive—tiny one- or two-cell “calabooses” made of metal, concrete, or wood—they improved on the existing practice of chaining people accused