Occasionally someone may talk about a red brick building or more often a red brick unit or red brick facility. This is a common way to refer to the older TDCJ units built before the mid-1900s, and it the name comes from the dark red bricks used in construction of these prisons (as well as many other buildings in Texas dating to this period). The reason these buildings are distinct is because most are uncomfortable, sometimes in disrepair, and they generally have group showers that make it more difficult to provide the opportunity for “separate” shower and changing required under PREA standards.
