tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post8088863046390307580..comments2024-03-15T05:45:01.402-05:00Comments on Grits for Breakfast: Texas 10-12K prison beds short under Senate, House budgets, eyewitness ID clears committeeGritsforbreakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-28120084212557372122011-03-08T08:02:17.186-06:002011-03-08T08:02:17.186-06:00soronel haetir, I know your book, you left off con...soronel haetir, I know your book, you left off confiscation of their property and removal of their families to reeducation camps. Under your plan we could also clean out the mental hospitals, state MHMR schools and for that matter nursing homes. I guess in your world only a pure minority would remain. <br /><br />Sorry Scott I had to respond to this.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-90225544372888496802011-03-06T23:52:00.068-06:002011-03-06T23:52:00.068-06:00You know, when I sit back & watch this politic...You know, when I sit back & watch this political posturing, I am sickened and amused at the same time. First of all, the majority party in Austin is wanting to reduce the budget without having the balls to raise taxes to meet the needs of the state. But, what was more disturbing is seeing a news story showing whining citizens complaining about having to pay for state inmates being housed in county jails. People are a stupid lot. This is nothing but a political ploy to divert attention elsewhere. Hey, cretins from Texas, are you listening? Hey, Bubba "get tough on crime" Idiot, you will pay for people being incarcerated one way or another. So, if I were a criminal, I would surely be watching the places where police are thin, places are under budget, etc. Then, I would pick my crime target & eventually win. Furthermore, the incentive of being a law enforcement officer or prison guard is being taken away by porcine politicians in Austin. Oink, oink, oink. I can't wait for the crime spree to swallow up this state. You ain't seen nothing yet, greedy fools! So, you want to keep officer and prison guards? You are missing the entire point.DeathBreathnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-27376782554613858572011-03-04T14:55:18.108-06:002011-03-04T14:55:18.108-06:00Again, they should release the prisoners that have...Again, they should release the prisoners that have are non-violent offenders that have been in for years. This would allow them to contribute to the tax deficit as working taxpayers. I have a friend convicted with a 25 year sentence of auto theft in 1992at the age of 26. The current penalty for this same crime is 2 year state jail, but was never made retroactive. What is wrong with the TDCJ?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-83870617317154559782011-03-03T15:31:43.681-06:002011-03-03T15:31:43.681-06:00Don,
All of them of course. Given that the vast ...Don,<br /><br />All of them of course. Given that the vast majority of offenders don't contest guilt (though I agree they would if execution were probable), even discounting the innocents caught up in the system the vast majority are in fact guilty. Most of the time it isn't even particularly at issue. <br /><br />Now, I do agree there are problems in how convictions are obtained, I just don't see changing how we punish people as being at all responsive to the actual problems. The problems of how we convict people need to be addressed on the front end by changing how police, prosecutors and courts operate, not in how we treat a population that for the vast majority guilt is not in question.Soronel Haetirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11639906179427371695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-70595105339909935492011-03-03T14:50:46.694-06:002011-03-03T14:50:46.694-06:00Soronel Haetir said "Texas wouldn't need ...Soronel Haetir said "Texas wouldn't need nearly so many prisons under the policies I espouse as the vase majority of offenders would be executed." Just curious. Would that include just the guilty ones? Or the "vase majority" of all of them? Seek help, Dude.Donhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16902834245861000386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-38957139583830989652011-03-03T13:47:32.471-06:002011-03-03T13:47:32.471-06:001:14, no urgency but the $$$.
Where should TDCJ ...1:14, no urgency but the $$$. <br /><br />Where should TDCJ get the $786 million the Governor wants cut from their budget? Or alternatively, what should they do if budget cuts leave them 10-12,000 beds short? If you have an answer that doesn't involve raising taxes, Senators Odgen and Whitmire, I'm sure, would like to hear it.Gritsforbreakfasthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-39800069061053450102011-03-03T13:14:30.926-06:002011-03-03T13:14:30.926-06:00Crime was out of control in the 70's and 80...Crime was out of control in the 70's and 80's. Understandably, people had enough and 'get tough' laws were passed in the 90's. Crime rates fell and they have been consistently low ever since. Why this urgent need to go in the other direction is beyond me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-31051995443692920312011-03-03T13:04:51.747-06:002011-03-03T13:04:51.747-06:00Hook Em Horns,
No state in the US is close to my ...Hook Em Horns,<br /><br />No state in the US is close to my preferred policies, as the courts have ruled that they aren't allowed. Texas wouldn't need nearly so many prisons under the policies I espouse as the vase majority of offenders would be executed. In the meantime, locking people up and keeping them there is the next best alternative.Soronel Haetirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11639906179427371695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-74430082869652585922011-03-03T12:55:39.494-06:002011-03-03T12:55:39.494-06:00" Defense of the public from threats both int..." Defense of the public from threats both internal and external is one of the few legitimate functions of government."<br /><br />YOU, CLEARLY HAVE BOUGHT, HOOK, LINE AND SINKER, THE DIATRIBE THAT MORE PRISONS MAKE US SAFER. TRY TELLING THAT TO THE VICTIMS OF VIOLENT CRIME IN THIS GREAT LONE STAR WHERE WE HAVE 112 PRISONS!<br /><br />IDIOT!Hook Em Hornshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04660612847019528535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-66596645372596838502011-03-03T12:20:12.500-06:002011-03-03T12:20:12.500-06:0011:41, Tony gave me a hard copy and I didn't f...11:41, Tony gave me a hard copy and I didn't find a link to it on their website, earlier, but it's up now! <a href="http://justicereinvestment.org/files/TXJRStateReport32011v2.pdf" rel="nofollow">Here it is</a> (pdf), and I'll also add the link in the text.Gritsforbreakfasthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-6703824045034795872011-03-03T12:17:31.990-06:002011-03-03T12:17:31.990-06:00And sad as it is, I would prioritize prisons over ...And sad as it is, I would prioritize prisons over education. Those who want to learn will, no matter how little the state spends on the task. Defense of the public from threats both internal and external is one of the few legitimate functions of government. Improvement of the public is not.Soronel Haetirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11639906179427371695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-69706078288111747622011-03-03T11:58:54.606-06:002011-03-03T11:58:54.606-06:00As I see it The Legislature and TDCJ is not lookin...As I see it The Legislature and TDCJ is not looking at changing much. No treatment and an increase in beds over time. Yet Dallas and FT Worth ISD are looking at massive teacher and program cuts. I would agree there is a lot of waste and unneeded mandates in Education, that said, so we are going to prioritize Prisons over Education. There is a point where the money has just run out, you can only raise taxes so much and you have to decide, what is the best use of my limited resources. <br /><br />Ham2mtrAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-80459441779700576982011-03-03T11:41:35.762-06:002011-03-03T11:41:35.762-06:00I have not seen an actual copy of Fabelo's rep...I have not seen an actual copy of Fabelo's report. Can you link me to it?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-1517871321103314732011-03-03T11:37:57.207-06:002011-03-03T11:37:57.207-06:00Grits,
Given that I believe that the courts were ...Grits,<br /><br />Given that I believe that the courts were entirely in the wrong when they started limiting death eligibility crimes, yes, I believe that is too lenient. Certainly too lenient as a maximum possible outcome. It might well be excellent policy for the majority of cases. But just as Gall and Pepper show that there are offenders who get their act together (in the case of Gall without any input from the CJ system), there are offenders who simply aren't able to do so. Far better to figure out who those offenders are as quickly as possible and simply forget about them.Soronel Haetirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11639906179427371695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-64794674241738479812011-03-03T11:19:52.520-06:002011-03-03T11:19:52.520-06:00Btw..., Scott, limiting techs to ISF-only, or at l...Btw..., Scott, limiting techs to ISF-only, or at least limiting their return to the TDCJ-CID to one-year would be a big improvement and would save millions! Senator Whitmire proposed such a bill last session.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-48037270239234863542011-03-03T11:18:27.519-06:002011-03-03T11:18:27.519-06:00Good point, TexasMaverick, but it is even worse th...Good point, TexasMaverick, but it is even worse than that on GPS. This guy has to anticipate when he will need to stop to get gas two weeks in advance. He can't just stop to get gas or take a piss without prior approval. No joke either, no exaggeration! The guy DID indeed commit an offense in 1982. He has since served a total of 26 years on the inside. The man whose car he stole (i.e. the kidnapping charge) was released unharmed and almost certainly has long ago gotten over the incident. Don has not used an illegal drug in 30 years!!!<br /><br />My point in all this is that tough decisions are going to have to be made. The Lege is considering cutting funding for everything from schools to programs to treat disabled kids, all the while you and I are paying $750 a month to supervise this person who had not posed any threat to society whatsoever since the time that many of Grits' readers were still pooping yellow, if they were even born. It's about priorities!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-85893966748296481132011-03-03T11:07:41.725-06:002011-03-03T11:07:41.725-06:00Soronel, I don't think you realize the difficu...Soronel, I don't think you realize the difficulty of complying with electronic monitoring. When you are given permission to attend treatment, work, etc you have a specific timeframe and must be back within your home to allow the equipment to verify you are there. If you encounter a major wreck on the way home (you have to travel a specific route) then you could be in violation and risk revocation. Just because the signs on George Bush say 10-12 mins to Hwy 35, or Mapquest says it takes 45 mins to travel a route doesn't mean that's going to happen. There are traffic delays every day. So, PO need to work with the people who are doing what is required, i.e. get a job, report, stay out of trouble. Using heroin at 20, spending 1/2 your life in prison yet managing to get a job when you get out is to be encouraged. Agg. kidnapping is considered high risk thus the GPS, but the heroin use was a contributing factor and the time spend should be considered. The flippant remark of the PO is disgraceful.Texas Mavericknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-294536204467982312011-03-03T10:39:12.261-06:002011-03-03T10:39:12.261-06:00Don said...
Our (Lubbock) state rep. Charles Perry...Don said...<br />Our (Lubbock) state rep. Charles Perry calls in on a couple of local radio stations on Wednesdays. He seems to like the idea of privatizing more prisons. I don't exactly understand this. <br />~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />Perhaps, just perhaps, his pockets are being lined by one or more private prison operators.Hook Em Hornshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04660612847019528535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-33498199527123744872011-03-03T10:26:20.414-06:002011-03-03T10:26:20.414-06:00Soronel, that said, what do you think of the speci...Soronel, that said, what do you think of the specific suggestion of limiting technical revocations to 12 months, particularly for drug and property offenders? Is that too "easy"?Gritsforbreakfasthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-15419438500718869492011-03-03T10:21:08.934-06:002011-03-03T10:21:08.934-06:00Michael,
If you think being high on heroin is a m...Michael,<br /><br />If you think being high on heroin is a mitigating factor then we have a major impasse from the very beginning. <br /><br />Getting out from under supervision should be a process that sets people up to fail. They already failed at least once to get under that supervision, it should not be an easy road to recovery.Soronel Haetirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11639906179427371695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-52565666983167440822011-03-03T10:13:30.985-06:002011-03-03T10:13:30.985-06:00Right. And while he' advocating this, they...Right. And while he' advocating this, they're already canceling GEO's contract on North Texas ISF. I'm not sure that this is the year we needed a bunch neophytes like Charles Perry down there.Donhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16902834245861000386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-3966120310141209682011-03-03T09:54:42.812-06:002011-03-03T09:54:42.812-06:00Don, there's no real savings to be had from sh...Don, there's no real savings to be had from shifting to private prisons. (It's like renting your house instead of owning it if you plan to live there 30 years.) But just like there are cases where it makes more sense to rent a home than buy, there are instances in the short-term where using private prisons make sense, for pragmatic instead of economic reasons. (E.g., quickly ramping up ISF and treatment capacity in 2007.) <br /><br />That said, to cut as much as Perry et. al. have suggested requires closing prisons and eliminating some existing private contracts. Privatization's not going to get you remotely close to $700 million in budget reduction.Gritsforbreakfasthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-21469890663977698132011-03-03T09:50:23.667-06:002011-03-03T09:50:23.667-06:00My friend, Donald Burton #510779, last committed a...My friend, Donald Burton #510779, last committed a criminal offense in 1982, when he was 20 years-old. He has not raped or murdered anyone. His offense was aggravated kidnapping, an offense committed while he was strung-out on heroin. No excuse,just a mitigating factor.<br /><br />Don is now 50 years-old, has had a job since his second day out, yet he is being supervised on SISP with a GPS electronic monitoring device to boot. The cost of supervising him, according to the Executive Services Division, is $25 a day, versus $3.74 a day if he were to be placed on regular active supervision.<br /><br />There are thousands like Don. The BPP is pissed because they have to let some of these guys go under the pre-1987 mandatory release statute. Their response is to implement a program designed to fail (SISP) to increase the likelihood of a violation report for being as little as one minute late.<br /><br />Don has had to leave his work early and without completing required paperwork. There have been occasions where Don has had to break the law -- speeding at 85 mph -- in order to make it home in time. His requests for an additional 30 minutes each night have been denied. His parole officer notified him, "you haven't been late yet, so you don't need more time." <br /><br />I'm all for being tough on crime, but do we need to pay $25 a day to supervise someone who was last convicted of a criminal offense shortly after Ronald Reagan was elected to his first term?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-13724416200881578892011-03-03T09:40:17.042-06:002011-03-03T09:40:17.042-06:00Our (Lubbock) state rep. Charles Perry calls in on...Our (Lubbock) state rep. Charles Perry calls in on a couple of local radio stations on Wednesdays. He seems to like the idea of privatizing more prisons. I don't exactly understand this. Private prisons are paid about the same per prisoner day as what it costs the state. The cut corners on CO to inmate ratio, food, support personnel, programs, etc. So do the state run prisons. But I can't quite see where he thinks the savings are. Conservatives think private is always better than government, but when the issue is money, I don't know. Plus, they're always getting sued. What say you, Scott?Donhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16902834245861000386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-77246325382532832892011-03-03T09:37:26.054-06:002011-03-03T09:37:26.054-06:00Scott, SB 883 would have a huge impact and cost-sa...Scott, SB 883 would have a huge impact and cost-savings,especially in the coming years,as taxpayers would not longer be forced to bear the burden of supervising offenders for years, sometimes even decades, longer than the sentences they were given by judges,. juries,and/or agreed to by prosecuting attorneys.<br /><br />Also, there is a reason parole rates have been so low since the building of all these prisons. You saw Livingston's letter to his employees when the original budget cut requests were made to the department. In short, he assured them he will fight for their jobs in the name of keeping society safe. If the BPP met its own guidelines approval rate, their sins would find them out: We would all see that the fears were nothing but lies, and that our "need" for additional beds a bunch of political B.S.<br /><br />I personally know people who have been inside for as much as 14 years for mere technical violations of their parole. These are people who already served their time on the original sentence and were granted parole, only to be revoked later. Now they are having to serve time as if they committed a new offense, despite the fact that they have not committed any criminal offense, not even as much as a traffic ticket, in 25+ years!!!<br /><br />The Department, the BPP,the BOCJ, and the Governor are doing everything they can to maintain populations, to ensure all prison beds are filled with men and women, so that they won't have to eat their own words and confess to society to their great shame and embarrassment that they did not need 120,000 prison beds to be built in 12 years to begin with.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com