Welcome to the Fair Changes Website
Prisons have long been used as a common punishment for certain criminal behavior. Their design has focused mostly on incapacitation. The consequence are conditions that no one in the free world would tolerate. When conditions inside the walls conflict with the stated mission of a prison, it makes sense to examine them and recommend corrective action.
Nowhere in Texas is there such a great concentration of individuals with identified problems. Dealing with issues like substance abuse, impulse control, mental illness, or sexual violence is difficult under any circumstances, by any agency. With 8,000 vacant officer positions, it’s far more difficult.
No one has all the answers about how to achieve the ideals spelled out in the TDCJ mission statement which is: “to provide public safety, promote positive change in offender behavior, reintegrate offenders into society, and assist victims of crime”.
Our belief is that more information can contribute to the task of mission accomplishment. In 2007 Texas legislators created the Criminal Justice Legislative Oversight Committee. Their purpose was to analyze the system and provide recommendations every two years to fellow lawmakers. That fine idea went nowhere as that committee had only one meeting in 2009 and never issued any report. Our intent is to pick up where they left off.
Here is our plan, Beginning May 1 we will begin the process of soliciting input from those with lived experience and others. We will be requesting answers to questions about current conditions, what works, and what needs to change to achieve better outcomes. Better outcomes means fewer new victims and more saved lives. The information collected will be tabulated and condensed into a preliminary report made public on July 4th.
That timetable is consistent with the urgency we feel because of ongoing drug use, suicides, uses of force, and persistent recidivism. We know it is necessary to improve prison conditions. We know positive changes will benefit all. We know the agency needs help to accomplish its mission.
We’re here to help with that. You’ve likely heard the idea that those closest to the problem are often closest to the solution. Informed by ideas from the “fresh eyes” of those individuals, we intend to present practical and effective ways to transform the prison experience into one that emphasizes personal growth and public safety.