Monday, July 11, 2011

TDCJ statistics snapshot

How much of an inmate's sentence will they serve before release? In FY 2010, on average prisoners released from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice had served 58.3% of their sentences, down slightly from 60% in 2006. A story in the Wichita Falls Times Record News ("Many inmates don't finish time," July 11) interprets these and other data from this 2010 TDCJ Statistical Report (pdf), which has been a source for prior Grits posts. Tidbits pulled from the report include:
The most common sentence was three to five years in prison, with more than 16,000 new entrants sentenced to that.

During the 2010 fiscal year in Texas, 247 people were sentenced to life, 85 to life without parole and seven received the death penalty.
One caveat to the story: TRN reporter Ken Fibbe misstated the average sentence served. While it's true that "the average sentenced length was 19.2 years for all inmates," that includes inmates kept for very long sentences. The 58.3% is the amount of time served by the cohort released in 2010. Of those prisoners, their average sentence length was 8.2 years and the average time served was 4.3 years. Looking further through the document, I thought it worthwhile to mention several other interesting tidbits that jumped out.

A sizable 21.6% of the active parole population (>17,500) has been under supervision five or more years.

Texas' probation population has trended slightly downward in recent years, with 419,920 under supervision in FY 2010, down from 430,840 in 2006. Of FY 2010 probationers, 247,102 were under felony supervision, with 172,818 misdemeanor probationers.

Violent offenders made up 51.2% of TDCJ prisoners onhand, but just 20% of prisoners released in FY 2010. By contrast, drug offenders made up 17.8% of prisoners onhand but 32.6% of all releases. Similarly, property offenders accounted for 16.6% of prisoners onhand but 28.5% of FY2010 releases. Hence the state is releasing drug and property offenders at higher rates in order to keep violent offenders locked up longer, which to be fair is probably what most folks want them to do.

Here are the 10 Texas counties with the most prisoners onhand in TDCJ at the end of FY 2010, accounting for 56% of all prisoners:
  1. Harris: 28,995
  2. Dallas: 18,205
  3. Tarrant: 10,911
  4. Bexar: 9,958
  5. Travis: 5,177
  6. Hidalgo: 3,173
  7. McLennan: 2,569
  8. Jefferson: 2,551
  9. Lubbock: 2,530
  10. El Paso: 2,419
Overall, TDCJ released slightly more prisoners in FY 2010 than it took in. Total "receives and admissions," i.e, inflow: 73,596. Total "releases and departures" (outflow): 73,842.

37 comments:

Nurseypooh said...

Grits-These statistics are good to hear. I'm always amazed though at some of our offender's are in there for their 2nd DUI, with a 3-7 yr term and then others are in there for much more serious crimes for the same sentence. Is it true it just depends what county you are convicted in? I hear Harris county is really hard on crime?
It would be nice to see more preventative or intervention programs for the drug and alcohol offenses because these offenders are mixed in with some really hardened criminals and learn a lot of bad things from them, some of it just a matter of survival in prison they have to resort to survive such as fighting.

BTW off subject but UTMB is suppose to announce this week possibly Tues. or Fri about the RIF's, they delayed this 2 weeks ago, trying to rethink some things. We do know our unit will go from 12 to 8 hours Aug. 1st but so far they have not moved the more medically needy offenders from our unit. I will post as soon as I find out.

Hook Em Horns said...

Grits said, "violent offenders made up 51.2% of TDCJ prisoners onhand, but just 20% of prisoners released in FY 2010. By contrast, drug offenders made up 17.8% of prisoners onhand but 32.6% of all releases. Similarly, property offenders accounted for 16.6% of prisoners on-hand but 28.5% of FY2010 releases. Hence the state is releasing drug and property offenders at higher rates in order to keep violent offenders locked up longer, which to be fair is probably what most folks want them to do.

That's what I want them to do.

rodsmith said...

Ouch here i though texas was a lock em up and lose em state!

florida went to 85% YEARS ago! like 1996!

Anonymous said...

Yes, but having sex with or copping a feel of a too young girlfriend is also considered a violent offense. They are both sexual assault of a child. Right?

sunray's wench said...

Horns - which group of offenders is more likely to be back inside TDCJ within a couple of years of parole though?

Do you really want them to release inmates who will go straight back to drug running and burglary, causing a lot of pain and misery for a wide number of the community, or would you rather they release inmates who are much less likely to reoffend again because their crime was as a result of a rare set of circumstances that will almost certainly never happen again?

Which group of offenders is going to cost you more in the long run?

Anonymous said...

...Rodsmith

Florida went to 85% because they had ulterior motives to increase the prison population. AND it wasn't because crime rose 85% in Florida!

Contrary to Conservative talking points, it was to justify a huge prison expansion and profits.

Anonymous said...

In order for numbers to drop and money to be saved, we need legislators to finally get the balls to pass mandatory sentencing guideline statutes. Quit running scared shatless of Texas Prosecutors. Who knows, this might take care of some of the unethical prosecution crap at the same time.

Hook Em Horns said...

Sunday's, I am a strong advocate of treatment vs prison especially on 1st and even 2nd dope crimes even dealing. My comment is more about the safety of the public than it is the recidivism of dopers, per se.

sunray's wench said...

Horns - so is mine. Is the public going to be safe from having their homes or vehicles burgled (a much more likely outcome of releasing those inmates)?

Safety is about more than just lack of physical harm. If you've ever been burgled, you will know the feelings of violation and vulnerability that go with it. Buglers generally don't just commit one or two crimes, usually it is a whole shopping list, with every family on that list sharing the same feelings of violation.

I'm not trying to underplay the more serious crimes that involve violence, I'm just trying to show that non-violent criminals can have a much bigger impact on a community.

And if you want to talk money, the number of burglaries etc are the reason insurance premiums and prices in the shops are high. So you are already paying twice over for these non-violent criminals even before they get to prison or treatment (treatment for habitual burglars? anyone know of any programmes like that?).

Kevin Stouwie said...

The TDCJ Board of Pardons and Paroles only paroles approximately 30% of parole eligible offenders each year. Even non-violent offenders are only released at about 40-45%.

The only reason to believe that they will let the number go any higher than 30% is if we have too many incoming offenders, because the capacity of Texas prisons is pretty much at the maximum already.

Thank God the legislature didn't have the funds to build more prisons, or you can bet they would have. Perhaps they finally see that, once you build it, then you have to pay for using it, year after year after year.

Don said...

Nurseypooh: 2nd offense DWI is Class A MISDEMEANOR. Maximum one year in county. You don't go to prison with 3-7 year terms for your 2nd DWI. Maybe your 2nd DWI in conjunction with killing somebody, or something like that. There's more to the story.

Don said...

Also, Nursey, if you will check further, you will find that some of your drug and alcohol offenders are also hardened criminals, who may be teaching your hardened criminals a bad thing or two. I agree with you about more prevention and intervention for alcoholics and addicts. I'm an LCDC who has worked in criminal justice settings for a long time. However, don't assume that just because someone is in for a drug/alcohol offense, that they are all just sick and need someone to understand them. You sound like a compassionate person, not yet jaded to the realities of Texas Criminal "Justice". Hang in there!

Don said...

Minor point, but while I'm preaching, for adults in Texas it's always DWI. There is no "DUI". Except for minors. (zero tolerance) DUI is Driving under the Influence, which is not illegal for an adult in Texas. You have to meet the legal threshold of intoxication, which is .08 BAC or greater, or not having control of normal physical and/or mental faculties due to the ingestion of alcohol, or OTHER drug. I know the terms are used interchangeably, but there is a difference. :)

Anonymous said...

Can someone tell me what the percentage sentence served is for the violent offenders is? I can't make any sense out of the report. Thx

Hook Em Horns said...

I suppose we can split hairs for a hundred years. Do drug offenders commit property crimes because of the drugs? Do they commit more crimes?

I am going to disagree that someone who is burglarized is suffering more pain than the family of someone shot and killed, someone beaten and put in a coma or a rape victim or victim of sexual assault.

The majority of the folks I represent have some type of substance abuse issue. Not all are burglars, not all are violent. Some are one or the other and some are both. The bottom line is treating the non-violent offenders in a non-prison setting makes more room for those who have, for whatever reason, chosen to ignore the law repeatedly.

rodsmith said...

hmm

"Florida went to 85% because they had ulterior motives to increase the prison population. AND it wasn't because crime rose 85% in Florida!

Contrary to Conservative talking points, it was to justify a huge prison expansion and profits."

Here i though this was the reasn the whole darn country did it!

Scott Stevens said...

1. Is there anything to show the county population in relation to the number of prisoners on hand? I believe McLennan County looks pretty far out of proportion to its population. Not sure about other counties.

2. There have been references to sentences of 3-7 years. I think readers should be reminded that this is a range of sentences, not indeterminate sentences. Texas sentences to a specific term, not a term that may increase with bad behavior like some states do.

sunray's wench said...

Horns said "I am going to disagree that someone who is burglarized is suffering more pain than the family of someone shot and killed, someone beaten and put in a coma or a rape victim or victim of sexual assault."

I would disagree too, but that's not what I said. The violation I mentioned wasn't necessarily at an individual level, it was collective. Simply put, burglars effect more of the community than murderers do. You can feel sympathy on behalf of someone whose family member has been murdered, but generally there is only 1 or 2 murders, whereas an individual burglar commits multiple burglaries.

Are electrical goods highly priced because of murderers? Is your home insurance premium as high as it is because of a murderer? No, they are both inflated because of thieves, to pre-cove the cost of financial losses. Financially, burglars cost the community far more overall, than murderers do, before they are caught.

Anonymous said...

Harassment by Correction Officer - Murray Unit

To: ombudsman@tdcj.state.tx.us

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How does one report unrelenting harassment (Sexual, and other forms of mental and physical harassment) by a Correction Officer of an Offender?

I received a disturbing message from a friend that is an Offender at the Murray Unit. It seems that the Officer in Charge (an Officer Schrader) of the Work Crew (A "Hoe Squad" Boss) she is on is harassing her, unmercifully for a long time. The harassment is: sexual, telling lies about her to provoke other Offenders to be angry at her, and filing infringement “CASE” after “CASE” on her for made up infractions. She has been telling me about this harassment for months.

The Offender is afraid that she will be put in Restrictive Custody, Solitary Confinement and/or physically hurt by other Offenders. She has tried to maintain a low-profile in her situation, but it seems this Officer Schrader is unrelenting.

Thank you.

Hook Em Horns said...

How does one report unrelenting harassment (Sexual, and other forms of mental and physical harassment) by a Correction Officer of an Offender?

I have found that calling the warden's office directly can work miracles. Certainly not in every situation but in most.

If you are going to engage in correspondence, I suggest using the US Postal Service and sending things certified mail.

Anonymous said...

I have no faith in the current Warden at the Murray unit. She will cover up anything. Call the Office of the Inspector General and sometimes they do the right thing but not often. Contact both you State Senator and State Representative and let them know your vote and support is riding on this behavoir. Some are better than others about taking care of their voters. This officer is just one of many. The Crain Unit is full of officers like this. Many of the officers down there take care of the inmates that give into sexual favors as oppose to tormenting those who do not. They give retaliation a whole new meaning and will often times pit inmate against inmate until one gets hurt.

Anonymous said...

I just left the Crain Unit in Gatesville this year and at one of the satellite unit named Terrace there is a Sergeant, Lieutenant and a Captain that hands out work assignments to the women who slept with them. These women then become tattle tales for them and make up things on other women that are not even true. They will do anything to protect these women too. The ones that do not give into their sexual advances are put out in the fields to be worked and treated as slaves. These women are written up for things that they have not even done and are punished severely for these false allegations all because they will not slept with these officers. These officers will bring in contraband and give it to the ones who provide sexual favors then plant it on the ones who will not so they can be punished for it and have their parole denied by the parole board. The Crain Unit is a modern day horror run by a cruel and sadistic warden that sees this as sport and encourages this behavior.

Anonymous said...

I also remember this male officer or should I say clown that wears a grey uniform that is a straight up pervert. He stands on the chase pipe and watches the women shower then threatens them with write ups if they do not perform oral sex on him. The officers in charge of the Terrace unit sit back and encourage this and homosexual relationships then write the inmates up when they do not get their way with them. There is a black female officer who does not like the young white inmates because she is so ugly and very prejudice. She will write the young white inmates up but never write up the black inmates.She is either afraid of them and she shows gives them all special treatment. This woman has serious race issues and the Captain turns a blind eye to it.

Anonymous said...

Does it seem the Criminal Justice Profession (and I use that term loosely) attract and breed sadistic facist bastards?

Anonymous said...

How does one report unrelenting harassment (Sexual, and other forms of mental and physical harassment) by a Correction Officer of an Offender?

I received a disturbing message from a friend that is an Offender at the Murray Unit. It seems that the Officer in Charge (an Officer Schrader) of the Work Crew (A "Hoe Squad" Boss) she is on is harassing her, unmercifully for a long time. The harassment is: sexual, telling lies about her to provoke other Offenders to be angry at her, and filing infringement “CASE” after “CASE” on her for made up infractions. She has been telling me about this harassment for months.

The Offender is afraid that she will be put in Restrictive Custody, Solitary Confinement and/or physically hurt by other Offenders. She has tried to maintain a low-profile in her situation, but it seems this Officer Schrader is unrelenting.

Which Schrader is this? There is a married couple down there husband and wife. Which just does not seem right.

Anonymous said...

Male Officer J. Schraeder,
C.O.-IV, Shift 1H.

Anonymous said...

This is in his wifes own words on her face book; however, I guess you do not need to be able to spell correctly to work for TDCJ. Call The office of the Inspector General in Huntsville.

I'm 26 i live in the big city of Gatesville. I work for TDCJ. It is very intresting some time the others you want to cuss someone out! But nothing like the benifits of a state job. We bought a house in Jan and love it so much! We have big plans for it now we just need the time and money haha! On September 12th I marreid the best man ever next to my daddy! Life is great!

Anonymous said...

Three violent inmates today at the Murray Unit on "The Hoe Squad" attacked my friend today. Correction Officer Joseph Schraeder did nothing to stop it. In fact, he provoked the attacked.

TCDJ does nothing to stop this type of behavior.

Anonymous said...

Have you called anyone? Office of the Inspector General, State Senator, State Representative or the Governors Office? Did you call the Warden (she is one sorry individual)office? Call The Austin Statesman or Houston Cronicle. CALL SOMEONE!!!!

Anonymous said...

Yes, contacted Omsbudman office, inspector generals office, and news media, etc.

Nothing has been done.

TDCJ's policy will get someone seriously or fatally injured.

Anonymous said...

I wish I had a way to contact you.
What did the Unit Warden have to say? Did you contact Region VI Director Campozano? Do not wast your time with the Asst he once worked at the Crain Unit and there are still stories of his comedy down there being talked about among the inmates.

Anonymous said...

The Crain Unit is a modern day house of horrors and terror. The Riverside unit has a woman Captain that will rape inmates and several white female officers who are gay and torment the women inmates who are not, when they are not smoking their dope outside the gates. The Sycamore unit has a Lieutenant that is a sexual deviant also. The Terrance unit has a group of black female officers that will write women inmates up for sexual misconduct if they do not give them sexual favors. These women are racists who target the white inmates with threats and write ups. Gatesville traded in white redneck peckerwoods who abused and buried little boys in unmarked graves yesterday for sexual deviant minorities who sexually abuse and bury women in unmark graves today.

Anonymous said...

Too bad many CO's don't follow the rules. Most CO's, since most TDCJ Units are located in tiny backwoods towns, are backward a** hicks with an IQ that is borderline retarded . There are a few good ones, but the bad ones far outweigh the good ones.

Anonymous said...

" I spent 3 1/2 years on the Gatesville Unit which was actually renamed The Christina Melton Crain Unit in 2009. I spent 2 years at Terrace & 1 1/2 years at Sycamore which are 2 of 7 satellites of the prison.It is a very dark place where most of the guards families have worked for many generations so all of the meaness & contempt that they have for the prisoners has been instilled in them as they were growing up. It's in there blood as their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings hell all of them out there in Gatesville work for or have at onr time worked for the Prison or the boys home that it used to be.

I've seen women die in there because of neglect from guards to call for medical help during extreme emergencies that did result in death. There are a handful of guards that do treat you with respect if you give them respect but most of them have no business whatsoever be in charge of offenders but should in fact be in the system themselves. It was a very dark time out there during my incarceration in Gatesville & so glad I've done my time & came home already. "

Anonymous said...

What is the hoe squad? Is it like the chain gang?

Gritsforbreakfast said...

TDCJ inmates are required to work and many work in ag jobs since the agency raises much of its own food. The hoe squad are inmate assigned to perform farm-related tasks at TDCJ.

Anonymous said...

Correction Officer Joseph Schraeder (Murray Unit) - is at it again. Harrassing selected Non-Offenders on his "Hoe Squad #3" by writing unwarranted (false) CASES against them. Plus promising to have the selected Offenders "Cross-Out" (assaulted by other Offenders working on his "Hoe Squad #3).

This so called Professional Correctional Officer is an EMBARRASSMENT to the TDCJ.

However, the TDCJ refuses to do investigated follow-ups and continuies stands-by and to back up the lies of this CORRURT Officer.

The TDCJ is going to be responsible for a severe or fatal injury to a a non-violent Offender
if this situation is not correct quickly......!