Explain and Discuss Texas's Correctional System

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The Answer is a.History: Shortly after Texas joined the Union,construction was authorized for a state penitentiary in Hunstville.The 225-cell facility opened in 1849.Prisoners stayed in a single cell at night and inmates congregated during the day to work in silence.From 1870 to 1883 the entire prison system was leased to private contractors who used the labor of inmates in exchange for providing maintenance and security for prisoners.After 1883,the Texas prison system was leased to railroads,planters,and others who provided prisoners with food,clothing,and paid a stipend to the state.The leasing arrangement was abandoned in 1910 as a result of abuse.A 1924 investigation of the system found cruel and brutal treatment of prisoners,inefficient management,and inadequate care of inmates.A state prison board was created in the mid-1940s.The Texas prison system was one of the worst.The 1974 Joint Committee on Prison Reform submitted findings to the legislature that were critical of the Texas prison system; Ruiz v.Estelle; federal supervision ended in 2002.
b.Hurdles: Dramatic increases in cost of prison construction and prison maintenance over time; construction varied from year to year,until 2007 when Texas legislature began to seriously address imprisonment; state government significantly increased the incarceration of offenders by building more prisons; 2011,first time in Texas history,state closed prisons,state leaders announced plans to close three juvenile detention centers with its move toward rehabilitation,crime prevention,and cost cutting; two other prisons closed in 2013; lack of accountability with prison systems and tax-payer dollar.
c.Texas prisons: Opinion.If yes,Texas is no longer handling its crime problem solely by incarceration.Alternatives such as drug treatment programs,community supervision,community service,electronic monitoring of offenders,and mandatory treatment for alcohol or drug addiction are used as a first response.The result has been a decline in prison construction and the beginning of prison closings,as well as efforts to compensate those wrongfully convicted.If no,politics is influential in crime and punishment,reform efforts have been unsuccessful in part because Texans believe in the death penalty and elected officials believe that in order to get elected they have to be tough on crime; they are responsive to the electorate.

Explain and Discuss Texas's Correctional System

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