HOUSTON -- Note: The following story is a verbatim transcript of an Investigators story that aired on Friday, May 2, 2008, on KPRC Local 2 at 10 p.m.

Tonight, state lawmakers are reacting to what Local 2 Investigates uncovered inside a Houston-area prison. It all centers around the C.T. Terrell Unit near Rosharon in Brazoria County.

Thursday, corrections officers spoke out -- saying their reports of serious crimes by fellow officers were ignored. Instead, they claim they felt the heat.

State Rep. Jerry Madden, of Plano, the chair of the house committee overseeing prisons, received complaints from officers at Terrell. He's now watching to see how the Texas Department of Criminal Justice handles the situation.

Investigative reporter Stephen Dean speaks with the one corrections officer charged with a crime. He's painting a much different story of the prison.

"Walls have ears in the penitentiary," said Derrick Rice, a former corrections officer at the Terrell Prison Unit. "Whatever you do will come out."

Rice says prison walls may know all, but they did not see or hear him commit the crimes he's now charged with committing. Last week, Rice was arrested and fired. He's charged with seven counts of felony bribery. The Texas Office of Inspector General says Rice was getting paid to bring contraband to inmates inside the prison.

"Here I am all of the sudden arrested for something I have no knowledge of, I did not do," said Rice.

The charges are no surprise to some of his fellow corrections officers at Terrell.

"I think it's just the tip of the iceberg," said Corrections Officer No. 1, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Last night, two corrections officers blew the whistle -- saying they believe dozens of officers inside Terrell are corrupt on one level or another. However, when they detailed their suspicions and first-hand accounts of wrongdoing to prison leaders -- including allegations about Officer Rice -- they claim they were the ones facing the heat. They say they were met with harassment and retaliation.

"I think this officer that was involved in these actions with these inmates was just basically one of a bigger group that's now operating on the unit," said Corrections Officer No. 1.

"That's going on with many officers at this time," said another corrections officer, also speaking on the condition of anonymity. "It's organized to the point these people work together."

"That's a big fabrication," said Rice. "I don't know of any officer that would do anything like that on the card (shift) that I worked."

Rice says he has heard stories, but never witnessed any crimes or wrongdoings. Instead, he says African-American officers face a different set of rules at Terrell.

"There's a lot of racism going on at that facility."

Whatever's going on, corruption or racism, the result is clear -- officers inside the Terrell prison unit do not trust each other. It's a serious and dangerous concern behind the walls.

"Who can I count on?" said Corrections Officer No. 1. "Who can I not count on?"

"You don't know who has you back," said Rice. "It's very difficult working in that kind of environment."

TDCJ leaders acknowledge the massive division between officers. Within the last week, two supervisors have been transferred from the Terrell unit.

The officers we spoke with say the senior warden played a key role in covering-up wrongdoings and then retaliated against them for reporting it. The warden is now charged with leading the effort to unite the unit.

"We're looking to try and get a team in there where they can bring that unit back together," said Michelle Lyons, a TDCJ spokesperson.

Rice faces up to 20 years in prison for each of his seven counts of bribery.

Meanwhile, the state's investigation of officers and inmates at Terrell continues. Lawmakers are now looking into how TDCJ leaders are handling the entire situation.