Prison Programming In Texas: Do We Practice What We Preach

Abstract

Prison programming is an important aspect of the criminal justice system. Programming can be used to help solve many problems in the system. In this thesis, educational and life skills programs offered in public prisons in Texas are examined. Comparisons are made to the number of programs in women's and men's prisons. This thesis argues that Texas needs to offer more programming and that the Texas Department of Criminal Justice might not be living up to its mission statement in terms of the number of programs offered. Simply stated the educational and life skills programs that are offered in the Texas public prisons are not enough to promote the changes the state aims for as indicated in the TDCJ mission statement.