Texas operates the largest prison system in the country, spending over $3 billion annually on corrections. Yet the Texas Department of Criminal Justice has no external overight mechanism. Incarcerated people face extreme heat in units without air conditioning, as well as ongoing lockdowns during COVID-19. Alarmingly, suicide rates are rising.
TCJC is fighting to ensure that those who live and work within prison walls are safe, healthy, and protected from abuse, including through independent oversight, as well as that in-prison programming is therapeutic and focused on successful reentry.
Click here to see TCJC's legislative strategy for 2021.