The Special Prosecution Unit assists District and County Attorneys with prosecuting crimes arising from within adult and juvenile correctional facilities and the civil commitment of sexually violent predators.
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Mission Statement
In a healthy democracy, we must ensure justice exists in the darkest places for courageous employees and others we think may least deserve it.
Prosecutes criminal offenses committed on property owned or operated by or under contract with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice committed by or against a person in the custody in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Prosecutes criminal offenses committed and delinquent conduct on property owned or operated by or under contract with the Texas Juvenile Justice Department committed by or against a person in the custody in the Texas Juvenile Justice Department.
Pursues the civil commitment of sexually violent predators at the request of any district attorney/ county attorney with felony jurisdiction.
Brief History of SPU
SPU was founded in 1984 to address the rising gang violence and other crimes occurring within the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ). This role was later expanded to include matters arising within the Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD). Because of SPU's unique perspective on the prison culture and sexually violent offenders incarcerated within TDCJ, SPU was initiated and pursued the civil commitment of sexually violent predators being discharged from TDCJ since 1999. The 84th Legislature modified jurisdiction of sexually violent predator cases so that these trials now occur in the county and court of conviction for the person's most recent sexually violent offense. SPU is governed by the SPU Board of Directors made up of all elected prosecutors having either a TDCJ or TJJD facility in their jurisdictions. The agency is headquartered in Huntsville, Texas and is under the management of the SPU Executive Director.
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