texas prisons
New Law Halts Prison Proxy Weddings in Texas
A new Texas state law bans proxy marriages which were previously common among prisoners. The law which took effect back in September now requires both parties to be present during a marriage ceremony. Previously, only one party needed to be present and a 'stand-in' or proxy could be present for the inmate. A spokesperson for the Texas Prison System stated they do not allow ceremonies in any of their facilities and they do not plan on making any policy changes to allow ceremonies in the future. The law was meant to stop people from fraudulently marrying someone and cashingRead More
Good Article on the Private Prison Industry / Racket
Although we usually focus on issues involving Texas prison life or Texas parole or, even more often, Texas parole packets, we do keep an eye on anything to do with the Texas prison system. Politico magazine/website carries an article today about the way the private prison industry is run and the problems with it. The article discusses several state and, while it doesn't name the prison, does talk about the situation at the Dawson facility where the allegations are CCA allowed a young woman to bleed to death by denying medicalRead More
Texas To Close Two Prison Facilities
Budget negotiators at the Texas Senate and House have tentatively agreed to close two private run state prisons resolving a political feud that threatened the criminal justice agency. Under Friday’s agreement, the Texas Board of Criminal Justice will decide which two prisons to close. Legislators agreed to cut $97 million from the criminal just budget under new wording in the budget, which requires two facilities to be closed. Although the bill does not specifically name the Dawson State Jail in Dallas and the Mineral Wells Pre-Parole Transfer Facility, the $97Read More
Another Effort To Privatize Prisons in Texas
Texas Prison Bid'ness, an excellent website keeping an eye on the private prison industry in Texas, has a good article at this link. They address the fact that Texas lawmakers once again tried to privatize more prisons, including one lawmaker who filed an amendment to a bill seeking private bids for all state jails. While the lawmakers (and do you want to bet that if you dig far enough there is some financial motive for their views?) tout how much more cost effective it would be, and it isn't, theyRead More
New Link to the Texas House Corrections Committee Audio Minutes
For those of you who are interested, and you should be interested if you have a loved one in prison and/or looking at parole, there is a link in the sidebar on the right to the Texas House Corrections Committee. This is the part of the legislature, along with the Criminal Justice Committee, that deals with prison and parole issues. I put a link there in case you are interested in listening to what they have to say. With all of the changes that are being contemplated you should takeRead More
Texas Inmate Population Continues to Grow
For several months we've been reporting on the Texas legislature's upcoming budget shortfall as it relates to the Texas prison system. Almost $6 billion of the state's $87 billion general fund is spent on prisons, but with the state facing a possible $20 billion (that's BILLION with a B) budget shortfall it is obvious that either revenues (aka taxes) are going to have to increase or spending is going to have to be cut WAY back. An obvious place to start cutting is the prison system, and some politicians haveRead More
CCA Being Investigated For Sexual Assault
Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), the corporation which has contracts to manage a number of Texas prisons, is currently under investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement as a result of allegations that their guards were groping and propositioning female prisoners for sex. This investigation is being conducted due to actions at the T. Don Hutto facility in Taylor, Texas. To those familiar with CCA, these allegations come as no surprise. The company, which also manages the Mineral Wells PPTF, Bradshaw State Jail, and several others is known for being veryRead More