Texas - Prison Capital of the World (Amarillo, Abilene: crime, hotel)

[ozonehole]

I'm not trying to be provocative by posting this, but I'm kind of disturbed by this trend. Many states suffer from a shortage of prison beds, and Texas has jumped in (with both feet) building private prisons for profit.

The USA is already the world leader in the number of people incarcerated. Yes, more than China, in both actual numbers and persons per capita. A lot of that has to do with the "War on Drugs" and "zero tolerance" policies, "3 strikes and you're out," mandatory minimum sentences, and various other euphemisms. There is also now a trend to imprison illegal aliens for a while, rather than immediately deport them as used to be the policy.

Do all these prisoners leave Texas when their sentence is up? Or do they hang around? Small communities seem to welcome the prisons because of the jobs provided, but I would not want to live next to one. There is the issue of prison escapees too - these people are no doubt desperate, and not likely to be nice.

Here's a really good article about the issue:

http://www.rio-grande-valley.com/raymondville/fullnews.php?id=18&PHPSESSID=fd8e87d58c16ee5c026ca 1cf3a0e0dbe (broken link)

[NOTAM]

i take interest in this, as i am a former Texas prison nurse and have lived in prison towns.
in terms of the inmates who chain out, most leave the town in which they were incarcerated in, especially if it is a small or rural town. some do stay.
i live just down the road from Gatesville here in Coryell County. this town is very small but has 5 Texas Department of Criminal Justice prisons-four women's and one men's-most maximum security, one death row for females (where our infamous Darlene Routier resides). the town is VERY safe-country rural ranching town. matter of fact, i plan to buy a house there next year.
having worked in the Texas prison system, and in Georgia, i will say, Texas runs prisons very well. like they say "Don't Mess With Texas", cuz if ya do, you will be sorry!
oh and for concern re prison escapees, though it does not occur very often, believe me, if they do escape, they usually try to get as far away from Texas as possible...they don't want to get locked up in Texas again! ha ha!

[NOTAM]

HIGHLY recommend this book for interesting reading on the Texas prison system and its history, written by a former Texas prison warden.
http://www.amazon.com/Largest-Hotel-.../dp/1571685227

[JamesAbilene]

Lots of West Texas communities depend on prisons, prison workers for economic reasons. I always thought that cities like Abilene, Amarillo, Colorado City, Snyder, Pampa, and other west Texas cities were given prisons because the land around the prisons was so isolated and desolate that the prisoners would prefer not to escape.

[ozonehole]

Originally Posted by bellestaroftexas

HIGHLY recommend this book for interesting reading on the Texas prison system and its history, written by a former Texas prison warden.
Amazon.com: The Largest Hotel Chain in Texas: Texas Prisons: Books: Lon Glenn

Thanks Bellestaroftexas, that does look like a good book. In case anyone is interested, I've found deepdiscount.com to be overall cheaper than Amazon for new books, though they don't seem to carry used books as Amazon sometimes does.

best regards,
Robert

[tstone]

I personally would think twice about moving to any town that heavily depends on the prison system for local, economic reasons.

[tc02]

I applauded the people that work for the DoC and manage the system well ... and those clients who somehow benefit from their stay with DoC and go on to productive lives after they leave the system.

However, I too am concerned about the growth of the incarcerated population and the amount of money being spent to build more facilities. Isn't something fundamentally wrong when we have to lock up 10% of our male population ?

Does anyone believe that prisons can rehabilitate inmates and reduce recidivism ? I hope that it's possible to help people who enter the legal and DoC systems ... but I don't really know if it is. Would be interested in hearing from (current & former) employees and inmates .

[DustyRoses]

I think until there is a big change, a sea-change really, in both education and providing mental health help EARLY to citizens needing it, that the prison populations will have to grow. Here is Texas we are very big, so our percentages are big, too, and we have to build prisons more quickly than other smaller population states. I would like to see a big change in our schools, forget the stupid constant testing and teach the kids skills and thinking skills, go for the VOCATIONAL end of things for many of the kids, it's something very needed and something they might excel at...right now, if someone isn't interested in university study they are considered second-rate and that is very bad for their mental health and problems arise when people are not feeling very self-actualized. Too much in our culture says "You only matter if you have POWER [money, prestige], doing a job well is 'nothing' you chumps" and this is bad for the teens to absorb. Former teacher talking here -- thinking out loud, excuse the stream-of-consciouness feel, thanks -- I'd like to see better control within the prisons we do have, there is just no reason for all the crime WITHIN the confines of prison, and those who are prison rapists should be segregated from the others, and yes, it can be done.

[NOTAM]

recidivism rates have and always been high. dont know the answer.

Originally Posted by tc02

I applauded the people that work for the DoC and manage the system well ... and those clients who somehow benefit from their stay with DoC and go on to productive lives after they leave the system.

However, I too am concerned about the growth of the incarcerated population and the amount of money being spent to build more facilities. Isn't something fundamentally wrong when we have to lock up 10% of our male population ?

Does anyone believe that prisons can rehabilitate inmates and reduce recidivism ? I hope that it's possible to help people who enter the legal and DoC systems ... but I don't really know if it is. Would be interested in hearing from (current & former) employees and inmates .

[lonestar2007]

Originally Posted by DustyRoses

I think until there is a big change, a sea-change really, in both education and providing mental health help EARLY to citizens needing it, that the prison populations will have to grow. Here is Texas we are very big, so our percentages are big, too, and we have to build prisons more quickly than other smaller population states. I would like to see a big change in our schools, forget the stupid constant testing and teach the kids skills and thinking skills, go for the VOCATIONAL end of things for many of the kids, it's something very needed and something they might excel at...right now, if someone isn't interested in university study they are considered second-rate and that is very bad for their mental health and problems arise when people are not feeling very self-actualized. Too much in our culture says "You only matter if you have POWER [money, prestige], doing a job well is 'nothing' you chumps" and this is bad for the teens to absorb. Former teacher talking here -- thinking out loud, excuse the stream-of-consciouness feel, thanks -- I'd like to see better control within the prisons we do have, there is just no reason for all the crime WITHIN the confines of prison, and those who are prison rapists should be segregated from the others, and yes, it can be done.

Wow! I think you hit the nail on the head! I agree wholeheartedly the schools should stop trying to mainstream these kids and look at them on individual basis. The school where my daughter attends seems to be divided into the kids heading off to college, the kids heading for the service and then there's that group that just seems to be left out.

One thing I will add to this and that is how kids are being raised these days. It seems to be the concensus that if you don't give in to your child's every whim, you don't love them. It the old thing of, if you loved me, you wouldn't make me take out the garbage. Well, I am making you take out the garbage because I do love you. I've seen countless kids, and I'm talking good kids, turn bad simply because they were brought up with no sense of direction, no values, no respect. Their parents were afraid to teach them to respect themselves and others, to appreciate their possessions, and to work for what they got simply because they were afraid the kids would 'get mad at them' and not love them. That or they were just to lazy to enforce rules on the kids. Regardless, these kids are growing up with everything their hearts could desire from personal computers, cell phones, ipods, you get the picture, to having the freedom to come and go as they please, more activites crammed down their throats than they can possibly handle. Most of them by the time they are in their early teens are bored with life. Can you imagine that, young kids bored with life, but they are. Take a poll, you will find it amazing how many kids in high school that have been on numerous cruises, some on trips out of the country, drive nicer cars than most of us could afford until we had been in the workforce for a while, yet this kids have never had to work for any of it. Do you still have questions as to why these kids are turning to drugs, teenage sex, thrills any and everywhere they can find them. These are young children who have already been there, already done it and they're bored and dissatisfied and looking for something to fulfill them.

We had things to look forward to when we were growing up. Things came in order. Dumb things, such as getting your ears pierced. We didn't get to do that until we were grown and out of the house living on our own. It was something to look forward to. Girls nowdays have multiple piercings in elementary school. Well, chalk that off as something to look forward to and this is just an example in the different aspects of the growing stages. Bored kids turn into bored juveniles and we all know where that road leads. Once these kids enter the system, look at the statistics, they'll not good.