Texas Legislature


I found this @ KVUE.COM
Plans under way to free up prison capacity
02/19/2003

Associated Press


Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst says plans are under way to free up four-thousand prison beds as the system approaches "operating capacity."

But Dewhurst today said that at the end of the day, Texas is not going to compromise on safety.

Meanwhile, the head of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee says more capacity could come from shortening a substance abuse program for offenders from nine months to six months.

Senator John Whitmire of Houston says that would free up about 2,000 beds.

Another 1,000 beds could come from converting the Hamilton Youth Commission facility in Bryan into an adult prison operated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

Operating capacity is not maximum capacity.

Operating capacity is the figure prison officials say allows for the most efficient prison operation.

is there anyway to find out what units that this will be happening in for sure?

let me know

terri

Hey everyone, I was reading the Huntsville Item newspaper online and found this:

February 19, 2003
TDCJ nearing max capacity
By Mark Passwaters/Staff Writer The Huntsville Item

Declaring a "borderline crisis," the Texas Department of Criminal Justice announced Wednesday that it has reached an inmate capacity level of 97.5 percent.
TDCJ has 151,470 total beds for inmates, but considers 147,680 inmates to be "maximum capacity" to allow for the transportation of prisoners from one unit to another on short notice.
The agency first received warnings that it may be facing an overcrowding situation last month, when a presentation to the Texas Board of Criminal Justice indicated the prison population had again begun to grow. A decrease in the number of people being paroled, an increase in crime and longer prison terms given to inmates entering the system have compounded the problem.
Still, TDCJ officials were not expecting to be dealing with the increased prison population this soon.
"The numbers have changed, and it looks like we're going to (have to contract out for beds) sometime later this year or next year," executive director Gary Johnson told The Huntsville Item last week.
A rapid increase in prisoners entering the system recently, however, has put TDCJ at capacity sooner than anticipated.
"Right now, we're getting 5,500 (inmates) a month and (we) release 5,000 a month," TDCJ spokesman Larry Todd said. "So we're rapidly inching upwards towards full capacity."
In order to make sure the agency can accept more prisoners, Todd said TDCJ officials will look at "numerous options."
"One option is to reduce substance abuse recovery programs from nine months to six months, thus freeing up 2,000 beds," he said. "Another possibility is leasing beds from the county jails that have space available. However, many of them report that they are near capacity."
Todd said another possibility includes the possibility of releasing some inmates on parole, but stressed that decision lies with the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, not TDCJ.
Gerald Garrett, the chairman of the Board of Pardons and Paroles, told the Associated Press the board will be "ready, willing and able" to help solve the problem, but said there will not be a repeat of the "merry-go-round" system of the 1980s, when even violent criminals were released after serving very little of their terms.
"We're not going to repeat the errors of the revolving-door days, but there is still plenty of room for strategic decision-making," he said.
Regardless of the decisions made, Todd said the population problem, coupled with the state's $9.9 budget shortfall, leaves TDCJ in a very serious situation.
"The problem is that we're facing these increases while facing significant decreases in our operational budget," he said. "Put together, it leads into a borderline crisis, with the word borderline soon to go away."


I'll post a few more I found too...
diane

One thing is for sure, Texas Prison are FULL. Yeeeees, maybe, just maybe some will be released. Cutting a 9 month programd to 6 months and 6 months to 3 months means a shorter sentence. About 2 months ago my husband heard a rumor that after March 1st 250 inmates from each Texas units were going to be released. Of course this is just a rumor he heard, Has anyone elses fellows heard this?
Janice

hi Terri,
I don't know of any way to find out what units this may effect. Search the ineternet....look under anything and everything you can think of to do with Texas Prisons.

Janice

Hi,
My boyfriend is in a Texas State Jail and he told me he had heard alot of guys were getting early releases too ....But neither him or myself are not sure if it is true but seems there is a form letter that can possibly do it . Now I have been told by his attorney that State Jail offenders never get early releases, Has anyone else heard of State Jail offenders getting out early? I have found attorneys do not always know new things...
Laurie....

Hi Laurie,
I haven't herad of a form letter, wonder where you get it from.
I don't know much about State Jails but if Prisons are full I would think the State Jails are to.
Janice