My original plan today was to attend the Texas Board of Criminal Justice meeting today in Huntsville. The intent was to take advantage of the three minutes available to the public to comment on prison-related matters. The purpose was to encourage the board and TDCJ administration to include the voices of those with lived experience in the creation of the 2030 plan now underway. This was based on the idea that those closest to the problem are often closest to the solution. It turns out I was mistaken about this being a meeting with public comment on non-agenda items. However, I felt strongly enough about the importance of a holistic approach to designing upgrades to prison operations, I showed up anyway to present board members with recommendations for change written by two currently incarcerated individuals.
Texas Board of Criminal Justice meeting Dec 9,2022
The first is a self-published book titled “Reshaping the Texas Prison System for Better Public Safety – An Inside View from a Texas Lifer” by Aaron Flaherty. The second is a 20-page proposal about Restrictive Housing by Rickey Pearson who is in his 21st continuous year in that setting.
I saw the director of the Correctional Institutions Division, Bobby Lumpkin, and gave him a copy of the book. Another one went to the Deputy Director of the Rehabilitation Programs Division.
No single person has all the answers, but there are many voices that, if heard, will add significantly to fair and positive management decisions.
This was all about making/renewing connections and planting seeds. With enough care, some of them may well sprout.