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#I'mAffect Texas

The problems (in Texas)

Texas has an incarceration rate of 840 per 100,000 people (including prisons, jails, immigration detention, and juvenile justice facilities), meaning that it locks up a higher percentage of its people than any democracy on earth. - Prison Policy Initiative 
Currently, the Texas prison system houses just under 126,000 people in approximately 100 units. 
About one-quarter of a million people are incarcerated in jails and prisons in Texas — more than the total number of prisoners in Germany, France, Japan, and the United Kingdom combined. If Texas were a country, its incarceration rate would rank eighth in the world, just behind Oklahoma and six other Southern states. - Prison Legal News

Extreme Temperatures

There are many issues with prison conditions in Texas. The worst is the extreme heat as 70% of our prison units do not have AC. In the summer, temperatures have been documented as high as 149 degrees. since 2011 there have been 21 confirmed heat-related deaths and many more that we know the heat contributed to but caused heart attacks, strokes, or respiratory failure. Texas does have heat-mitigating policies (AD 1064), but the system is plagued by staffing issues that make following these policies difficult. 

Solitary Confinement

There are more than 500 prisoners in Texas who have been in isolation for 10 years or more – by far the largest number in any state in the union. 
In January of this year (2023), men who are housed in isolation began a hunger strike that coincided with the beginning of the Texas legislative session, where 3 bills were introduced by Representative Meza in the House that would legislate change to the use of solitary confinement. In Texas, the term Solitary Confinement is no longer used, instead, isolation spaces are called the Special Housing Unit, the ALU or Administrative Segregation. To learn more click the button to the left
Hundreds of prisoners may participate in the protest beginning Tuesday, the first day of the state’s legislative session. Texas often keeps prisoners in solitary confinement for years or decades.
Texas lawmaker, prison advocates push for solitary confinement reform

Medical Care

Medical care for the aging prison population is another issue. 
The Texas Tribune reported that the Texas prisoner population is aging and that the demographics now include older and sicker inmates.3 The proportion of prisoners aged 55 and older increased by 65% in the 2019 fiscal year. According to the TDCJ, inmates over 55 account for half of the hospitalization costs but only one-eighth of the prisoners. Prison health care costs have increased 53% from just below $500 million to $750 million between the years of 2012 and 2019—due not to an increase in inmate numbers but rather to an older inmate population.3 Older prisoners often have several co-morbidities and preexisting conditions.
But a class-action lawsuit filed in September alleges that TDCJ and UTMB have violated inmates' constitutional rights by denying them treatment with drugs considered the standard of care for Hepatitis C.
In Texas, for instance, the cost of a prison sick visit is $13, and experts say that in some cases, people in jails and prisons forgo care because of the cost.

Slavery Under the 13th Amendment

Texas is one of the six states that doesn't pay prisoners, and the weight of their care falls on the families and support systems. John Oliver's video (to the left) covers many of the issues associated with free prison labor. 
Please be aware that this video contains language that might be objectionable

HIGH STAFF TURNOVER RATES

According to the State Auditor's Office employee turnover report for fiscal year 2022, juvenile correctional officers experienced the highest turnover of all job classifications at a rate of 70 percent. - Representative Cook
Texas had a 40.3% turnover rate for correctional officer positions in 2021, according to a 2022 report released by the Texas State Auditor’s Office. The turnover rate for officers increased by almost 7% between 2020 and 2021.
The attrition rate for US correctional officers is high, with 40 percent of state correctional officers in Texas, for example, leaving their jobs in 2020. 
Concerns from Outside of the Us
After hearing expert testimony about Texas prison conditions in June 2021, an Edinburgh judge, Nigel Ross, raised concerns about persistent understaffing, forced unpaid labor, over-reliance on solitary confinement, inadequate food, sweltering temperatures, and a lack of independent oversight.
Please be aware that this video contains language that might be objectionable
The UN is watching

How do we change the course we are on?

Education

"It costs Texas taxpayers more than $28,000 per year to incarcerate an individual. The cost to educate and train individuals during their incarceration or community supervision so that they are better prepared to reenter society is minuscule compared to the costs to communities, victims, and families when they are not able to reintegrate successfully. Every dollar invested in prison-based education yields $4 to $5 of taxpayer savings in reduced incarceration costs. Expanding opportunities for incarcerated adults to complete a high school education and earn a diploma will reduce recidivism." - Senator King 
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