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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


Give Them Something To Look Forward To During The Hot Months

The temperatures in the units are climbing now and I'd be willing to bet that they started topping 100 degrees in units like Gurney in early May.  Although you get a half hour or so of rec time, usually, in the units other than that and school there isn't much to do or look forward to other than "making store" for those lucky enough to have family put money on their books. The only other bright spot is the possibility of making parole and getting out sooner. As we discussedRead 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