History of Texas Department of Criminal Justice TDCJ

History of Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) “We’ll Even Leave the Light On”

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Texas State Penitentiary (Huntsville) Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2011. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 3

Agency Titles • 1848 -1866 – Texas State Penitentiary • 1866 -1957 – Texas Prison System • 1957 -1989 – Texas Department of Corrections • 1989 -Present – Texas Department of Criminal Justice Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2011. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 4

Era Characterizations • • • 1836 -1861 The Formative Years 1861 -1865 The Civil War Era 1866 -1909 The Convict Lease Era 1910 -1936 The Farm System 1937 -1947 The Decline 1947 -1973 The Reform Era Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2011. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 5

The Formative Years (1836 -1861) • Prior to 1848 – Inmates housed in local/county jails • May 1, 1848 – 2 nd Legislature passed creation of Huntsville Penitentiary with 225 cells • October 1, 1849 – 1 st inmate received, William Sansom (cattle theft) • 1855 – 75 inmates • 1860 – 182 inmates Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2011. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 6

Civil War Era (1861 -1865) • Civil War Union POWs and courtmarshaled soldiers held • Prison industries aided South by production of cloth from cotton and wool mills • 1865 – only one prison left standing in the Confederate states (Huntsville) Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2011. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 7

Convict Lease Era (1871 -1912) • Increased number of inmates • 2 nd legislature – Leased inmate labor and use of facilities – Outside camps established – Inmates hired by railroad and plantation owners • 1877 -1882 – second prison built in Rusk – Opened January, 1883 Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2011. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 8

Farm System Era (1910 -1936) 1910 -1912 • • Legislative changes to inmate accounts Industries slowed, farming expanded Less education and other reform efforts Leases were cancelled Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2011. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 9

Farm System Era (1910 -1936) Chain Gangs and Building Tenders Chain Gang: inmates leased to a private owner, and “chained” together during work to prevent their escape Building Tenders: inmates used to “control” other inmates and open/close cells Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2011. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 10

Farm System Era (1910 -1936) • Large agricultural ranching operations became hallmarks of the prison system Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2011. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 11

The Decline (1937 -1947) • • Troubled times for prisons Turned purchased plantations into farms Corrupt and mismanaged administration Fraud, and poor treatment of inmates Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2011. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 12

“Backsliding” • • • Large influx of inmates • Darrington Farm – 333 inmates housed in Brutality a unit designed for 250 Self-mutilation – Shower every three Sexual Perversion weeks – NO laundry services Incompetence • Retrieve Farm Petty Theft – 475 inmates housed in a unit designed for 350 – 31 sleep on brick floor Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2011. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 13

The Reform Years (1947 -1973) • Emphasis on reform, teaching, and recreation • New Classification system • 1931 – Prison rodeo established Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2011. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 14

The Reform Years (1947 -1973) • 1947 – Penal reforms – Modernized agricultural production – Initiated industrial products – Improvements in facilities • 1948 – “Construction Division” – Used inmate labor – Prison-made bricks – Prison-made concrete for new buildings Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2011. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 15

Prison Industries: License Plate Factory Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2011. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 16

Ellis Administration • “Ellis Plan” implemented by O. B. Ellis • Texas Prison System renamed to Texas Department of Corrections • Education and industry expanded Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2011. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 17

Beto Administration • Dr. George Beto director, of TDCJ • Implemented the Windham School District • National recognition for clean, orderly, and secure institutions • 1964 – Cooper v. Pate • 1971 – Guajardo v. Estelle • 1972 – Lamar v. Coffield Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2011. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 18

Supreme Court Decisions • Cooper v. Pate – Prisoners have the right to challenge administrative practices. • Guajardo v. Estelle – TDCJ could not deny inmates the right to correspond with inmates on the same or different units regarding legal matters. • Lamar v. Coffield – TDCJ prohibited from segregating offender housing or jobs based on race. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2011. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 19

Windham School District Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2011. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 20

Windham School District Largest School District in Texas • Established 1969 • Offered GED and High School Diploma to inmates • Junior- and Senior-level college courses • Rehabilitation programs • Vocational training • Furlough and community service • Helped secure work and transition after release Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2011. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 21

Prison-Made Goods Act • 1963 – Produced materials for internal use and sale to other state agencies • “Occupational training” for inmates • Education, recreation, religion, physiological, and psychological health care added Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2011. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 22

Inmate Goods Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2011. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 23

Conflict and Consolidation (1973 -1998) Estelle administration: – Ruiz v. Estelle – The Carrasco Incident • Weapons smuggled into the unit • Hostages were killed • Lasted eleven days – The Pack/Moore Homicides • An offender was acquitted for the homicides of the warden and top prison official. This caused much outrage amongst the prison staff and concerns for safety – Death of Minnie Houston • One of the first female correctional officers was murdered by an offender in the officer’s dining hall. This raised additional concerns for the suitability of female correctional officers in male facilities (female officers were allowed in male facilities as a result of K. K. Coble v. TDCJ) – TDCJ established 1989 Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2011. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 24

Ruiz v. Estelle • 1978 class action lawsuit challenged conditions of confinement • Longest running lawsuit • Federal courts maintained control of TDCJ until 2002 Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2011. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 25

Ruiz v. Estelle • Violations alleged – Due process – Cruel and unusual punishment – Crowding, poor living/health, and work conditions Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2011. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 26

Texas Department of Criminal Justice (1972 -Present) • 1986 – Prison rodeo stopped due to cost of repair and operation • 1989 – TDCJ & Board of Criminal Justice were created • Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Institutional Division – Department of Corrections – Board of Pardons and Parole – Texas Adult Probation Commission Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2011. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 27

Recent History (1998 -Present) • June 17, 2002 – Federal oversight under Ruiz was dismissed • Connally Seven “Texas 7” – Amended count procedures – Revised security procedures – Modified the offender classification plan to include reassignment of offenders to more appropriate security levels Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2011. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 28

Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2011. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 29

Recent History (1998 -Present) • Homicides of Daniel Nagle, Stanley Wiley, and Rhonda Osborne – Murdered by inmates – Officer safety reviewed – Initiatives to include body alarms, carry-on-person chemical agents, defensive tactics training, thrust vests (stab resistant vests), and BOSS chairs (x-ray chairs that check body orifices for weapons • Hurricane Rita – 9, 400 inmates were moved via airplane and vehicles prior to the hurricane hitting land Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2011. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 30

Recent History (1998 -Present) • CID reorganized to create better communication, coordination, consistency, and improve access to resources; revised into 6 regions. • American Correctional Association (ACA) accreditation Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2011. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 31

Prison Population • • • 1990 s – the number of prison beds tripled Community supervision implemented State Jails created Transfer facilities established 1998 – 124, 000 in TDCJ, and 6, 168 in private facilities Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2011. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 32

Current Statistics • 5 SAFPFs (Substance Abuse Felony Punishment Facilities) • 21 State Jail Facilities • 82 Prisons Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2011. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 33

Resources • Texas Department of Criminal Justice http: //www. tdcj. state. tx. us/ • Carracso Incident http: //web 3. unt. edu/untpress/catalog/det ail. cfm? ID=181 • Photos taken with permission at the Texas Prison Museum Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2011. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 34