Tuesday, August 17, 2010

TDCJ budget would lay off 7,300 employees before closing a single prison unit

Why am I not surprised? The Texas Department of Criminal Justice yesterday came out with its Legislative Appropriations Request (LAR) purporting to comply with budget cuts demanded by legislative leaders. Rumors were flying last week that TDCJ would suggest closing two units as part of a broader array of cuts, but that notion clearly didn't make it into the final draft, which mostly slashes staffing, community supervision, and mental health treatment. Here are the details from TDCJ's website:
At 5% below their current budget, TDCJ suggests closing no prisons but somehow believes they can safely cut 1,700 staff, including 1,200 at correctional facilities. If required to cut their budget by 10%, says the LAR, they'll eliminate 4,700 staff (mostly prison guards and parole officers) and still not close any prisons, while cutting mental health services by $88.8 million! If required to cut 15%, reports the Statesman's Mike Ward, TDCJ might close one private facility and would lay off 7,300 people. The only reduction in capacity suggested in the LAR are Intermediate Sanctions Facilities (prison alternatives that by all account have worked well) and the elimination of 471 beds at unspecified private units.

These frankly aren't serious proposals. Indeed, nearly every cut proposed by the agency - to probation, to parole, to treatment, to mental health - seems targeted not to best serve the public interest but to maximize the future inflow of prisoners to ensure that all 112 Texas prison units remain full, no matter what. This is classic bureaucratic self-interest at work from an agency that perceives itself first and foremost as a prison operator and thinks of community supervision as frills. Likely TDCJ officials are hoping against hope that Sen. Whitmire will prevail in his effort to have criminal justice agencies exempted from budget cuts.

In any event, this LAR confirms my fears that TDCJ will never go along willingly with shuttering any prison unit, even ones like the Central Unit in Sugarland which are inappropriately located and rife with security problems. As I've editorialized repeatedly, legislators will have to do the fine cutting themselves. It's possible to identify cuts and policy changes that would allow TDCJ to safely close 4-6 prison units while retaining or even expanding community supervision and diversion programming. Getting to 10% or 15% becomes more difficult, but cutting 5% shouldn't be remotely as hard as TDCJ's LAR makes it out to be.

13 comments:

Hook Em Horns said...

Told ya so...

This state has an unnatural LOVE and FASCINATION with prisons. The proof is in the budget!

Hook Em Horns said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

One thing Texas is good at is prosecuting and sending people to prison...with thanks to Jon Stewart

Anonymous said...

I really thought Central would be closed.

Hook Em Horns said...

What does it say when an agency would rather put 7,300 in the unemployment lines than close one or more of it's pole barn prisons?

There is something seriously wrong in this state...

At the rate(s) of incarceration TDCJ wants and is committed to and with a legislature that had created more felony class crimes than any state in the nation, how long before we are ALL WEARING WHITE?

Anonymous said...

Can the lege cut where they want to? Or, do they have to cut what TDCJ wants them to?

Gritsforbreakfast said...

They can cut where they want, 6:43, and will, but it's harder if they're bucking TDCJ recommendations.

Anonymous said...

The opening of non-CSCD operated intermediate sanctions facilities was like a glowing gift from the heavens for probation when the Burnet facility opened. Although it's not perfect, it has definitely helped keep probationers out of prison when they violate their stipulations. CSCD-operated ISFs are wonderful, also, but officers are limited in who they can send (no medical issues, no mental health, no assaultive histories, etc). Cutting these beds and all other diversion program funding, which has been proven and documented in all kinds of literature, would be stupid. However, as was posted, TDCJ thinks of itself as a prison operator, not an overall criminal justice agency with many facets. Sure, let's fill up those 122 units, then complain in a year when there aren't enough parole officers to supervise offenders. Good going, TDCJ! You're doing a fabulous job dealing with these budget cuts!

Hook Em Horns said...

The wonderful people of this state bought into this "tough on crime" mantra that is a facade for the creation of the biggest prison system in the world and the biggest prison-industrial complex in the world.

1. Texas is more concerned with putting people in it's prisons that it is with guilt or innocence. PROOF-40+ DNA exonerations and numerous other cases of inmate releases based on a variety of issues.

2. The Texas legislature is dedicated to keeping the state's 112 prisons filled. PROOF-The creation of more felony class convictions that any state in the country.

3. Texas has an unnatural love and fascination with prisons and incarceration. PROOF-We have 112 prisons scattered across the state, more than any state or any country in the world. We have a "museum" dedicated to this stupidity. TDCJ would rather send it's employees to unemployment lines than close one of it's "famed" prisons.

Anonymous said...

I think Hook Em Horns is onto something. WHY does Texas want to keep it's prisons full? Is it about the money?

Anonymous said...

thinking it's time to leave the great state of texas before one of my children, especially my young male son, gets sucked into this system. this is frankly the evolution of legal slavery,....proud "not" to be a texan because of our penal system.

Anonymous said...

Being a parole officer for TDCJ- I can tell that the system is need of some serious changes- Data entry clerks is what parole officers should be called- To see a parolee actually get out of prison and not have a positive drug test or new arrest within 6 months is milestone- Why not cut all the classes and resources these offenders get in prison and try making them not want to go back- you can GED- learn a new trade all in prison- at our expense- free medical services- crunchy or non-crunchy peanut butter-just lock them up 23 hours a day in a concrete room~

Anonymous said...

Having recently completed parole on a three year conviction,I know that the small segment of the "penal system" I was exposed to is nothing more than a human warehouse. After a brief interview upon arrival,there was no interest in any of the prisoners.The only interest the guards diplayed was in promotion.In fairness, they are woefully underpaid and required to work some bizzare shift patterns.