Accountability.
On September 1, 2025, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice assumed direct operation of Willacy State Jail in Raymondville and six other state-owned facilities that had been managed by private contractor Management and Training Corporation.
The seven facilities were Billy Moore Correctional Center, Bradshaw State Jail, Bridgeport Correctional Center, Coleman Unit, Kyle Correctional Center, Lindsey State Jail and Willacy State Jail. The 89th Texas Legislature provided funding for the transition.
TDCJ announced the completed transition on September 3, saying that bringing the facilities under state control would align them with agency-wide operating standards. The change affects daily management, staffing and oversight; it does not mean that Willacy State Jail is the same facility as the county jail or the former federal detention center in Willacy County.