The revelation of the release of 878 “most violent” convicts directly from solitary confinement in Texas state prisons onto the street without receiving any rehabilitation caused shock waves at a capitol hearing.
An Austin website, www.statesman.com, reported that although Texas has received national recognition for its innovative prison treatment and rehabilitation programs, it provided almost none for its toughest convicts who have spent years in solitary confinement.
According to the report, prison officials at the state capitol hearing acknowledged that 878 convicts were released last year directly from administrative segregation onto the street.
As many as 8,100 convicts are in administrative segregation in Texas’ 111 state prisons. Convicts in administrative segregation spend 23 hours a day locked in their cells. Barring trouble, they get out one hour a day for recreation and to shower, prisons officials stated at a capitol hearing.
“So these people were too dangerous to be in general population in a prison, but they are being released directly into our neighborhoods with no supervision?” asked State Senator John Whitmire, Chairman of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee. “That’s scary, we need to review the process.”
Appearing shocked, members of the Senate committee pushed prison officials to come up with a plan to provide programs for the toughest convicts.
Brad Livingston, Executive Director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, said Texas has never provided much in the way of programs for convicts in the highest security classifications. He added, “Sixty percent are confirmed members of prison and street criminal gangs.”
Livingston and Rick Thaler, the agency’s assistant director over prisons, said the toughest convicts are difficult to provide programs for safely. They cannot be included in regular treatment and rehabilitation programs offered to the state’s other imprisoned felons “because we can’t endanger the offenders in general population,” Thaler said.
At this, Senator Whitmire asked, “But you can let them discharge into the street when they finish their sentence, straight from spending every day for 15 years locked up alone in a small cell. Why not give them some life-skills or some faith-based programs or something that can prepare them for when they get out, rather than just turning them loose?”
Livingston said that in July, officials started offering an education and life-skills programs to 65 volunteers at the Estelle High Security Unit outside Huntsville.
Several senators questioned whether Texas should consider modifying its policy and offer programs for felons in administrative segregation, especially for those who are due for release within a year.
Senator Whitmore asked, “Do you want them coming out with no supervision at all, or to be paroled with intensive supervision for a time – where they can be tested for drugs and alcohol, and we can keep a close eye on them?”
Prisoner advocates and justice groups echoed that sentiment, arguing that years of isolation do nothing but make prisoners more anti-social and violent and can spur mental health problems.
