Each legislative session bills are filed to provide climate control for the living areas of the 65+ prisons that have none. Such bills received overwhelming support in the Texas House and then predictably died in the Senate. One consequence is that incarcerated individuals continue to die, and staff are negatively impacted as well. To date, […]
Overheated prisons impact staff as well Read More »
JULY 4 AND TEXAS PRISON CONDITIONS The Declaration of Independence is especially relevant to efforts to transform prisons into public agencies that promote life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. An incarcerated person has rightly or wrongly been deprived of their liberty. Responsibility for that person has been assigned to the state. When that state
July 4 and Prisons Read More »
There is more than one way to mitigate heat inside Texas prisons. Here’s a message I sent to Reps Sherman and Canales, the two elected officials who have advocated most strongly for humane prison conditions. PRISON HEAT – A PROPOSAL “My home does not include a carport or garage. Not enough shade either. So when I
Incarcerated individuals are dying in over heated prisons Read More »
In October 2022, a large number of residents in solitary confinement in Teas prisons, sent a proposal, via snail mail, to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and Texas lawmakers outlining their concerns about living conditions. They identified what they considered inhumane conditions and recommended changes. Furthermore, they stated that if no response was received
Hunger Strike by Solitary Residents Read More »
FOOTBALL AND PRISONS “Individual commitment to a group effort — that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” – Vince Lombardi” “By doing our best and applying that effort to a larger goal that benefits everyone, either directly or through a ripple effect of kindness, we make
Football and Prisons Read More »
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
Texas Board of Criminal Justice meeting Dec 9,2022 Read More »
This website is the offspring of www.teensinprison.org. That site was originally created in furtherance of concern about the treatment of juveniles in the court system and correctional facilities. While that site remains active, my focus has shifted from individual to system issues. Texas prisons have been operating for over 150 years. Today they are far
“The true measure of our character is how we treat the poor, the disfavored, the accused, the incarcerated, and the condemned.” Bryan Stevenson INTRODUCTION Fair Changes is an informal alliance of current and former adults in custody and other advocates supportive of the American ideal of EQUAL JUSTICE UNDER LAW. Our interest covers all aspects
First Report to TBCJ, TDCJ, Texas lawmakers and the public Read More »
The mandate of the Criminal Justice Legislative Oversight is: “…..to provide objective research, analysis, and recommendations to help guide criminal justice policies.” That guidance will come………..” not later than January 1 of each odd-numbered year, the committee shall submit a report that contains the recommendations described by Section 328.004 (a)(2)” That is a huge and
The initial focus of Fair Changes Read More »