Subject search results

13 Document(s) [ Subject: Privately-operated prisons ]

Committee:	Senate Criminal Justice
Title:	Interim Report
Library Catalog Title:	Interim report to the 81st Legislature
Subjects:	Capital murder trials | Child abuse | Correctional officers | Criminal justice | Criminal Justice, Texas Department of | Deferred adjudication | Drug trafficking | Homicide | Juvenile justice system | Mental health services | Mentally ill inmates | Methamphetamine | Occupational licenses | Ombudsmen | Pardons and Paroles, Texas Board of | Penalties and sentences (Criminal justice) | Police officers | Prison population | Prison security | Prisoner re-entry | Privately-operated prisons | Pseudoephedrine | Recidivism | Searches and seizures | Sex offenders | Substance abuse | Texas Code of Criminal Procedure | Theft | Youth Commission, Texas | Youthful offenders |
Library Call Number:	L1836.80 C868
Session:	80th R.S. (2007)
Online version:	View report [113 pages  File size: 13,967 kb]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Determine how private prisons are complying with state laws and how cost, safety, living conditions and rehabilitative services at private prisons compare with state-run facilities. Include an assessment of the staff turnover rates and compensation of private contractors when compared with state-operated facilities, and of the contract bidding processes used by the Texas Youth Commission and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
2.	Monitor the implementation of SB 103, 80th R.S., and the continuing reforms to the Texas Youth Commission and the juvenile criminal justice system. Identify barriers to effective implementation and provide recommendations to ensure that the goals of this legislation are achieved. Provide recommendations relating to best practices and identify needed additional treatment programs for juvenile sex offenders.
3.	Study the impact of laws designed to reduce illegal drug use and make recommendations for reducing access to illegal drugs and for developing best practices for preventative programs, focusing on drugs targeted for the younger population, such as cheese heroin. Assess the impact of limiting access to pseudoephedrine, including the impact restrictions have had on illegal manufacturers' methods for producing methamphetamine.
4.	Monitor the implementation of the new and expanded programs provided to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) within the Fiscal Year 2008 and 2009 budget, and identify their impact on the criminal justice populations. Study security issues within TDCJ, including staffing issues, use of lock down procedures, the control and containment of infectious diseases and the introduction and control of contraband within the institutions. Review the use of career ladders for employees of TDCJ and issues surrounding the retention of professional corrections staff. Study the issues of independent oversight of TDCJ, including the use and effectiveness of the TDCJ ombudsman system. Provide recommendations for the reduction or elimination of barriers to an effective corrections system.
5.	Study and make recommendations for reducing the number of law enforcement officer deaths in the line of duty. This study should include: an assessment of the types of calls and assignments that put law enforcement officers most at risk; the geographic regions of the state that suffer the most deaths; the agencies experiencing the highest rate of deaths in the line of duty; the time in an officer's career, and the officer's age that he or she is most susceptible to death in the line of duty; and the times of year, month, and day that are most dangerous.
6.	Study the issue of criminal asset seizure and the use of seized and forfeiture funds by district attorneys and law enforcement agencies. Review the oversight of these matters by the Texas Attorney General and provide recommendations to improve the dissemination of information concerning these funds. Ensure that these funds have the appropriate accountability and fiscal controls required for public funds.
7.	Study the system of deferred adjudication in Texas courts and make recommendations for resolving any problems and reducing the potential for release of dangerous criminals.
8.	Study and recommend best practices for reducing re-victimization of child abuse victims associated with delay in resolution of criminal cases. Recommend options for reducing the time lapse between child victimization and criminal hearings.
9.	Review the processes for re-entry of criminal offenders into communities. Identify barriers to the successful return to law-abiding behavior, including the absence of employment opportunities created by restriction on obtaining certain state occupational licenses. Provide recommendations for improvements to our current statutes governing this matter.
10.	Study whether Articles 36.09 (relating to trying multiple defendants from the same transaction either separately or jointly) and 36.10 (relating to severing defendants that show prejudice from a joint trial) of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure provide sufficient safeguards to ensure fair and reliable trial results in capital cases with multiple defendants. Determine whether the articles provide trial judges with sufficient instruction regarding joinder or severance of defendants and, if not, make recommendations to improve procedures.
11.	Study the relationship between the public mental health system and the criminal justice and civil courts systems, including the identification and sharing of information regarding mentally ill offenders, including minors, among criminal justice and mental health agencies, the courts, state hospitals, and the Veterans Administration. Study how current confidentiality laws impact the exchange of information among groups described above. Study the sentencing of mentally ill offenders compared to non-mentally ill offenders, including minors, and the affect that has on statewide prison capacity and on the health care provided to mentally ill offenders. (Joint Charge with Senate State Affairs Committee)
12.	Monitor the implementation of legislation addressed by the Criminal Justice Committee, 80th R.S., and make recommendations for any legislation needed to improve, enhance, and/or complete implementation. Specifically, report on the implementation of SB 909, 80th R.S., the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Sunset legislation, including provisions relating to the Board of Pardons and Paroles, and monitor implementation of the new laws relating to copper theft (SB 1154, 80th R.S., HB 1766, 80th R.S., and HB 1767, 80th R.S.).
Supporting documents
Committee:	Senate Criminal Justice
Title:	Testimony, Adan Munoz, Jr., Texas Commission on Jail Standards, Oversight of Private Correctional Facilities in Texas, October 12, 2007
Library Catalog Title:	Minutes
Library Call Number:	L1803.9 C868 80 2007: OCT 12
Session:	80th R.S. (2007)
Online version:	View document [43 pages  File size: 6,944 kb]
Committee:	Senate Criminal Justice
Title:	Testimony, Ronald Rodriguez, The Law Offices of Ronald Rodriguez, Interim Charge No. 1: GEO Group Private Prison Not Complying with State Laws: Submission of Evidence on the GEO Group's Pattern and Practice of Abuse, Neglect and Cover Up
Library Catalog Title:	Minutes
Library Call Number:	L1803.9 C868 80 2008: NOV 13
Session:	80th R.S. (2007)
Online version:	View document [32 pages  File size: 15,845 kb]
Committee:	House Corrections
Title:	Interim Report
Library Catalog Title:	House Committee on Corrections, Texas House of Representatives interim report, 2006 : a report to the House of Representatives, 80th Texas Legislature
Subjects:	After school programs | County jails | Crime prevention | Criminal Justice Advisory Council | Criminal Justice Policy Council | Criminal Justice, Texas Department of | Criminally insane | Disciplinary alternative education programs | Drug rehabilitation programs | Elderly inmates | Inmate education | Inmate health | Inmate rehabilitation | Inmates | Juvenile crime | Juvenile justice alternative education programs | Juvenile justice system | Juvenile Probation Commission, Texas | Mentally disabled inmates | Mentally ill inmates | Prison population | Privately-operated prisons | Probation | Sex offenders | State employee turnover | Windham School District | Women inmates | Youth Commission, Texas |
Library Call Number:	L1836.79 C817
Session:	79th R.S. (2005)
Online version:	View report [150 pages  File size: 34,034 kb]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Study the organizational structure of the department to determine if the current system is effectively and efficiently addressing the needs of all components of the criminal justice system in conjunction with the Sunset review of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) in 2007.
2.	Examine the probation system and reforms debated during the 79th Legislature, including using strategies such as graduated sanctions and specialized courts for reducing revocations and recidivism. Study the organization and cost of our probation system and make recommendations about how to prioritize and strengthen general supervision.
3.	Evaluate the correctional health care systems in other states as they compare to the Texas health care system, with a focus on greater accountability and competition among providers.
4.	Assess the programming needs for special populations in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ).
5.	Review the operation and organization of the Windham School District.
6.	Study the adequacy of the state accountability system in measuring the effectiveness of Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs (DAEPs) based on academic performance, behavior modification and percentage of students referred to the juvenile justice system. (Joint interim charge with the House Committee on Public Education.)
7.	Study the effectiveness of prevention programs, such as after school programs, in reducing the actual indices of crime and the rate of young offenders entering the criminal justice system. (Joint interim charge with the House Committee on Juvenile Justice and Family Issues.)
8.	Monitor the agencies and programs under the committee's oversight and monitor the Governor's Judicial Advisory Council.
Committee:	Senate Criminal Justice
Title:	Interim Report
Library Catalog Title:	Interim report to the 80th Legislature
Subjects:	Border drug trafficking | Border issues | Border security | Child abuse | Competency to stand trial | Inmate health | Mentally ill inmates | Methamphetamine | Non-citizen inmates | Privately-operated prisons | Probation | Pseudoephedrine | Youth Commission, Texas |
Library Call Number:	L1836.79 C868
Session:	79th R.S. (2005)
Online version:	View report [69 pages  File size: 16,360 kb]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Study the resources and facilities available to offenders with mental health needs in the Texas criminal justice system. Provide an inventory of resources and facilities. Develop recommendations to better allocate existing resources and efficiently address the needs of this population.
2.	Study the expenditure patterns and identify trends in the community supervision and corrections departments' use of state and local monies, known collectively as the Judicial Districts Trust Funds. Ascertain the percentages spent on direct supervision of probationers and identify notable policy decisions. Provide recommendations for improvements and methods of maximizing the use of these funds.
3.	Examine the allegations of abuse and neglect within the Texas Youth Commission (TYC) facilities and the appropriateness of TYC response. Include an analysis of factors that may be affecting the safety of inmates and staff and make recommendations for Legislative actions to improve the safety of inmates and staff at these facilities.
4.	Monitor the implementation of legislation relating to reducing the production and abuse of methamphetamine, including the predicted impact of methamphetamine's increased availability on state resources and criminal justice populations, and make recommendations for additional programs for further reductions in abuse and production.
5.	Study and make recommendations for methods to reduce kidnapping and violence along the Texas Border, focusing on reducing drug-related crime.
6.	Monitor the expenditure of funds for adult probation services dedicated to the lowering of revocations to state prisons and state jails. Examine the compliance with and effectiveness of associated budget riders and make recommendations for future funding needs.
7.	Study the feasibility of the State of Texas establishing or contracting with a private prison facility in the country of Mexico in order to house non-violent Mexican Nationals currently being housed in Texas prisons.
8.	Review other states' correctional health care systems and make recommendations, if necessary, for improving the effectiveness and efficiency of Texas' system.
Committee:	House Corrections
Title:	Interim Report
Library Catalog Title:	House Committee on Corrections, Texas House of Representatives interim report, 2004 : a report to the House of Representatives, 79th Texas Legislature
Subjects:	Criminal justice | Mentally disabled inmates | Mentally ill inmates | Parole | Privately-operated prisons | Probation | Sex offenders |
Library Call Number:	L1836.78 C817
Session:	78th R.S. (2003)
Online version:	View report [49 pages  File size: 2,742 kb]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Review the effectiveness, efficiency and funding mechanisms of the community supervision and parole supervision systems. Examine accountability for various community supervision programs administered through local community supervision and corrections departments. Study the advisability, methods and costs of creating a progressive-sanctions model for the adult criminal justice system. (Joint interim charge with House Appropriations Committee)
2.	Study targeted contracting and review strategies and initiatives in the prison system related to oversight, efficiency, effectiveness and potential cost-savings of contracted services by private sector vendors.
3.	Study the Council on Sex Offender Treatment, including treatment methods and effectiveness and explore the possibility of licensing of registered sex offender treatment providers.
4.	Study the criminal justice mental health initiative in coordination with the Texas Correctional Office on Offenders with Medical or Mental Impairments.
5.	Monitor the agencies and programs under the committee's oversight jurisdiction.
Committee:	Senate Criminal Justice
Title:	Interim Report
Library Catalog Title:	Senate Criminal Justice Committee interim report to the 79th Legislature.
Subjects:	Alternatives to incarceration | Crime Victims' Compensation Fund | Criminal Justice, Texas Department of | Drug courts | Identity theft | Law Enforcement, Texas Commission on | Parole | Police departments | Police officers | Prison population | Privately-operated prisons | Probation | Technical parole violations | Underage drinking |
Library Call Number:	L1836.78 C868
Session:	78th R.S. (2003)
Online version:	View report [95 pages  File size: 643 kb]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Study identity theft and its effects, and the impact of recent legislation addressing the issue (HB 2138, 78th R.S., SB 473, 78th R.S., and SB 566, 78th R.S.). Make recommendations for enhancing the Texas' ability to implement effective programs to prevent identity theft. Monitor federal legislation regarding identity theft to ensure that state and federal laws are complementary and make recommendations for improvements.
2.	Study and identify best practices for probation and community supervision programs including: the Community Justice Assistance Division; local probation management structure; the use of Drug Courts and the courts' impact on recidivism; programs to reduce underage drinking; mental health issues and continuity of care; use of the Community Supervision Tracking System (CSTS) and other data issues related to Criminal Justice information system components; and the implementation of HB 2668, 78th R.S.. Make recommendations for legislative changes to achieve best practices.
3.	Study the management efficiency and organizational structure of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, including implementation of recent restructuring by the TDCJ Board, and make recommendations on additional improvements, including possible consolidation of agency functions and other cost saving measures.
4.	Study the use and effectiveness of current parole guideline policies and make recommendations for changes to improve the policies. Develop innovative options that improve efficiency and enhance safe and effective correctional policy.
5.	Study and make recommendations relating to improving the use of specialized police agencies and officers, specifically, the necessity, accountability, qualifications, and jurisdictions of such police agencies.
6.	Review the Crime Victims Compensation Fund (Fund), including state and local competition, use in state agency methods of finance, evaluation of grant programs, possible diversion of funds from crime victims as a result of prior legislation, and whether the Fund meets the objectives of its authorizing legislation.
7.	Study the number of foreign citizens serving sentences in Texas prisons, including information relating to prison terms, recidivism, and types of offenses. Make recommendations for reducing the costs of providing prison services for this population, including leveraging of federal immigration funds and possible international agreements to pay home countries to transfer the prisoners to their respective countries to serve the remainder of their terms.
8.	Study and make recommendations concerning the cost effectiveness and efficiency of private prisons, including private services performed at state-owned prisons.
Committee:	Senate Criminal Justice
Title:	Interim Report - Charge 4
Library Catalog Title:	Interim report, 78th Legislature : charge four / Senate Committee on Criminal Justice.
Subjects:	Privately-operated prisons |
Library Call Number:	L1836.77 c868 4
Session:	77th R.S. (2001)
Online version:	View report [26 pages  File size: 11,327 kb]
Charge:	This report should address the charge below.
1.	Review the management and oversight of private prison facilities and recommend changes, if any, to the current system.
Committee:	Senate Criminal Justice
Title:	Interim Report - Correctional institutions
Library Catalog Title:	Interim report, 77th Legislature : charge five.
Subjects:	County jails | Criminal Justice, Texas Department of | Inmate rehabilitation | Prison population | Prisons | Privately-operated prisons | Probation | State jail system | Youth Commission, Texas |
Library Call Number:	L1836.76 c868 5
Session:	76th R.S. (1999)
Online version:	View report [44 pages  File size: 1,580 kb]
Charge:	This report should address the charge below.
1.	Review the statutory purpose of all adult and juvenile correctional facilities, whether state, locally or privately owned or operated, to recommend any needed changes in the statutory description or purpose. The review shall include facilities that are considered alternatives to incarceration or that are used for geriatric care. The Committee shall consider whether state jails are adequately managed, if adequate sanctions are available for confinees who fail to participate in programming or who cause disciplinary problems, and how to ensure effective rehabilitation programs in facilities.
Committee:	House County Affairs
Title:	Interim report
Library Catalog Title:	House Committee on County Affairs, Texas House of Representatives interim report, 1998 : a report to the House of Representatives, 76th Texas Legislature.
Subjects:	County government | County jails | Jail Standards, Texas Commission on | Population | Privately-operated prisons | Year 2000 computer problem |
Library Call Number:	L1836.75 c832
Session:	75th R.S. (1997)
Online version:	View report [44 pages  File size: 1,814 kb]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Review statutes with population limits to identify those that may need adjustment due to population changes.
2.	Review state laws governing county finance and budget practices and laws requiring the collection of fees. Determine the feasibility of simplifying or streamlining necessary statutes and eliminating unnecessary restrictions.
3.	Assess the preparedness of county governments to deal with the Year 2000 computer problems.
4.	Review the employment practices , security measures, and other operations of county jails, municipal and county jails, and privately operated municipal and county jails housing inmates convicted of offenses in other states. Identify any particular problems associated with private operations or with acceptance of inmates for pay. (Joint with House Committee on Corrections)
Committee:	Senate Criminal Justice
Title:	Interim report
Library Catalog Title:	Interim report, 75th Legislature.
Subjects:	Blood alcohol concentration | Criminal Justice, Texas Department of | Driving while intoxicated | Drug rehabilitation programs | Gun laws | Guns | Handguns - Registration | Inmate rehabilitation | Open container laws | Parole | Prison construction | Prison population | Privately-operated prisons | Probation | Public Safety, Texas Department of | Recidivism | Right to Carry Act | Services for persons with disabilities | Sex offenders | State jail system | Statutory revision | Substance abuse |
Library Call Number:	L1836.74 c868
Session:	74th R.S. (1995)
Online version:	View report [32 pages  File size: 1,664 kb]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Study and determine if there are any needed changes in the Driving While Intoxicated or related statutes, with a review of statutes in other states. This review should include, but not be limited to: the use of sobriety checkpoints; prohibition of open alcoholic beverage containers in motor vehicles; changing the blood alcohol threshold; and penalties for DWI offenses, including Intoxication Manslaughter.
2.	Review present and future substance abuse treatment programs in community programs, correctional facilities, and parole programs, to determine the number of offenders requiring treatment in all stages of the criminal justice system, the facility and personnel requirements to effectively treat offenders and to provide necessary aftercare by the year 2002, including projections for the next two bienniums.
3.	Review the progress of the state jails, including determining; (a) is programming available and effective for all state jail felons and if some are not receiving programming, why not; (b) is there effective programming in both the state operated and locally operated facilities; and (c) are programming efforts including preventing offenders from placing future demands on the criminal justice system.
4.	Review alternatives to incarceration that will reduce the need for further prison expansion, while improving public safety in light of the demand for prison space, through the year 2002.
5.	Review whether the Legislature should implement funding of the Department of Criminal Justice on performance of their efforts to reduce recidivism, including review of the Task Force on Recidivism.
6.	Monitor implementation of SB 60, 74th R.S., Right to Carry Act, and develop legislation to address administrative problems encountered by the Department of Public Safety and any other problems that may be identified.
7.	Review the cost and effectiveness of construction and operations, including programming, of Mode I and Mode II state jails, and any correctional facilities that are operated by private entities for use by the state, to determine which type of facility is the most cost effective to operate and which have the most effective programming and treatment, and to make recommendations to improve future operations, including cost effectiveness.
8.	Study and make recommendations for any penal or criminal justice issues that are identified as problems in legislation passed in the 74th Legislative Session, including omissions and unintended consequences of the legislation or related statutes, specifically including review of the criminal offenses created in the Education Code that may or may not conflict with provisions of the Penal Code.
9.	Review parole issues regarding sex offenders including available treatment and the statutory requirements as to which county the Parole Board may release an offender, to make recommendations for statutory changes, if any, that may be needed.
Supporting documents
Committee:	Senate Criminal Justice
Title:	Response by the Department of Criminal Justice
Library Catalog Title:	Response to the Senate Committee on Criminal Justice interim report, 75th Legislature.
Library Call Number:	L1836.74 c868r
Session:	74th R.S. (1995)
Online version:	View document [68 pages  File size: 2,626 kb]
Committee:	House Law Enforcement
Title:	Interim Report
Library Catalog Title:	Report of the Committee on Law Enforcement, Texas House of Representatives, 70th Legislature : to the speaker and members of the Texas House of Representatives, 70th Legislature.
Subjects:	Correctional officer shortages | Correctional officers | Corrections, Texas Department of | Good-conduct time | Juvenile crime | Mentally disabled inmates | Mentally Retarded Offender Program | Penalties and sentences (Criminal justice) | Prison construction | Privately-operated prisons | Ruiz lawsuit | State employee turnover |
Library Call Number:	L1836.69 l41
Session:	69th R.S. (1985)
Online version:	View report [63 pages  File size: 2,201 kb]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Study alternative means of meeting the program needs of the mentally handicapped offenders incarcerated in Texas prisons in conjunction with the Criminal Justice Policy Council.
2.	Study the problem of morale and employee turnover at the Department of Corrections and the fiscal impact of this situation on the State.
3.	Conduct monthly monitoring of the Department of Corrections construction division including new construction and renovation contracts for Ruiz litigation; oversight of contract award process; identification and reporting of cost-overruns and inconsistencies in management reporting of projects.
4.	Study the feasibility of private corrections systems in meeting the criminal justice needs of Texas including an analysis of the financial incentives for private investors in relation to the legal liability for the State and an analysis of private corrections products for practicality and cost effectiveness, in conjunction with the Appropriations Committee.
5.	Study the impact of the Ruiz settlement on production and harvesting of Department of Corrections agriculture crops.
6.	Monitor the percentage of crime committed in Texas that is attributed to juveniles.
7.	Study the impact of flat time on the violence and work stoppage at the Department of Corrections in conjunction with the percentage of inmates serving flat time sentences.

Information on this website is provided as a public service by the Legislative Reference Library. The Legislative Reference Library makes no representation as to its completeness or accuracy and makes no warranty in regard to its use. Users assume all risk of reliance on the information included on this site.