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Texas to close prison for first time in state history

By Liz Goodwin | The Lookout – Wed, Aug 3, 2011

Entrance to Sugar Land Prison (Wikimedia Commons)For the first time in the state's history, Texas is closing down a prison.

Along with the Central Unit in Sugar Land, a century-old prison southwest of Houston, the state is also shuttering three juvenile detention centers, with the goal of focusing more on rehabilitation and crime prevention, and also to save money in the face of a crushing budget deficit. Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokeswoman Michelle Lyons confirmed to the Lookout that this is the first prison to be closed and not replaced in the state's history.

The Austin-American Statesman's Mike Ward explains why tough-on-crime Texas is doing the once-unthinkable by shuttering a prison:

Texas joins a nationwide trend of shutting expensive state prisons, driven partly by red ink in state budgets, partly by a drop in convict numbers (with the lowest crime rate since 1973) and partly by a policy shift from lock-'em-up justice to rehabilitation programs.

In 2005, Texas began reforming drug sentencing and shifting money to drug rehabilitation and prevention programs, which has saved the state billions and reduced crime, according to the Washington Post. Such reforms have earned the praise of unlikely bedfellows: National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) President Ben Jealous and conservative activists like Grover Norquist. The NAACP argues that sending people to jail for nonviolent drug offenses turns young people into hardened criminals and disproportionately affects black people, while Norquist argues that states waste taxpayer money on locking up people who could be rehabilitated more cost-effectively.

According to The Houston Chronicle, shutting down the prison will save $16 million in annual operating costs, as well as bringing in revenue if the state manages to sell the 300-acre plot of land. The song "Midnight Special" was performed by a former Sugar Land inmate, Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter, according to the Fort Bend Star. The Midnight Special was a train that passed by the prison at midnight, and inmates who were illuminated by its headlights would be set free, according to legend.

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390 comments

Hull • 9 mths ago
Why does it cost anything to keep a prison open????........Prisons shoud be run as self contained as posible.....Inmates should have to do for themselfs or do without....the inmates should have to do everything from growing their own food, livestock, cleaning, building, maintance and even their own doctors and teachers...their is plenty of man and woman power locked up for an HR team to pick from....and if they can't do anything else they could at least ride stationary bikes hooked to a genny to power the lights.
- Trinket 9 mths ago
  They consider that slavery.
- Kim 9 mths ago
  Um prisoners do most of the work themselves. They do have gardens. They do cook their own food. They do all the cleaning and maintance. The teachers that come in or chaplains are usually volounteers. Read a little more about jail/prison life or better yet visit one and you would see that for yourself.
- teacher 9 mths ago
  Still have to pay the guards.
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Reply
Trinket • 9 mths ago
They close a prison and so many comments on Rick Perry and his religion. This has nothing to do with prayer & religion. Whats the matter with you guys? If you can not say nothing nice...dont say nothing at all. Look at California..They went broke and Arnold let their prisoners out on the street with no rehab. Do you think that would be a better thing to do? Dont think so.
- Darlene 9 mths ago
  uh our prisoners are still in prison in California,recheck your facts! the U.S. Supreme Court is ordering us to release 34,000 inmates by 2013. it has nothing to do with Arnold or being broke ,as Governor Arnold let almost no one out of prison not even on a compassionate release. our prisons in California are bulging at the seams and The U.S. Supreme Court is causing the release of prisoners and that is of course causing legislators to examine community programs and counties will be forced to keep more inmates in local jails ,which will be difficult since many local county jails are also under federal mandate to downsize the inmate population in California. I just love how people criticize California without knowing any of the facts. Trinket you really need to research your facts more before posting utter nonsense.I live here and have a working knowledge of the court orders in place.I don't pretend to know the situation in Texas that is leading to the closure of a prison or the crime rates there. the only thing I have observed is that for a state so active in executing death row inmates annually it is odd that your death row numbers never really change if anything the numbers on death row in Texas seem to increase rather than decrease by 30 0r 40 inmates annually.That makes me wonder if the Texan Stance on the death penalty is deterring murder ,maybe someone here can show where executing all those people has been effective as a deterrent because I dont see the effectiveness at all.
- Trinket 9 mths ago
  Darlene..My nephew was in a California prison and was released due to over crowding. Maybe they do not tell you everything that goes on in your state. Yes, Texas does execute and adds more to the death roll. Check your facts about Texas execution. By the way, I love California. It is a beautiful state and I had the enjoyment of living there.
Made in America • 9 mths ago
"disproportionately affects black people" Only Blacks are responsible for blacks being put in jail, just go to an all Black or Majoriity black neighborhood and you will see what I mean. White people do'nt stand aroud selling drugs on the street corners. A white man didn't tell the black man to steal, rob or rape anyone. It is time for the black community to be responsible for their own actions and stop blaming others. PERIOD!!!
- Soccerdaddy 9 mths ago
  "just go to an all Black or Majoriity black neighborhood ...." i lived in a majority white neighborhood and guess who the drug dealers are? you guessed it... white! oh and on the Indian reservation, who sells them drugs? Indians. but how many years you get for crack cocaine is way higher (like 10 times higher) than pure white cocaine.. and who does crack? black people. yes we should take responsibility, but stop victimizing us or just treat us like everyone else.
  that been said , i am not for drugs!
- Decon 9 mths ago
  and Hispanic too
- Decon 9 mths ago
  and Redneck too.
More

Reply
Pa • 9 mths ago
The justice system is broke from keeping non violent offenders locked up for decades. You can get a criminal who committed three 1st degree muders plea bargain all of them down to manslaughter. They get an 8 yr sentence and out on parole in 5. Then you have someone who is arrested for a small amount of narcotics for a second time and you give them 20 years. While they are in jail for drugs you have a rapist serial killer on the streets. Violent offenders should get longer sentences but it's not possible with overcrowding. And if they serve their time and get discharged why are we still punishing them when they get out. After being discharged non violent offenders should have their record cleared for employment purposes and kept only for the court records if needed again. You put them in prison and then make sure they can't get a job when they get out. It's so bad now that a number of prisoners don't even accept parole because they know it's almost impossible to pay fees and fines when they can't find a decent job. Then surprise surprise when they committ another crime. Get rid of parole it isnt working. Give them a day for day sentence and save everyone a lot of trouble. Putting felons on the street with no way to gain decent employment is putting all the citizens at risk
- S 9 mths ago
  Pa, great post!
- cmorephoto 9 mths ago
  The truth will set you free.... and yes I agree the DOJ is Broken and does not work, Im one of those railroaded so called felons and to be quite honest I have decided, since my life long conviction has been set in stone, my life long citizenship is finished. I grew up being a volunteer and today I wont lift a finger for this country! I cannot support such evil ways.... A man can never be completely rehabilitated until he is COMPLETELY Rejuvinated! Christians ya right! you bullshit youre friends and I will bullshit mine, lets not bullshit each other.
- D.A. 9 mths ago
  Very good post. We need to repair our damaged institutions. That is what being an American is all about. First, there needs to be an awakening. Way too many Americans are becoming disenfranchised from the American Dream, and not by being violent criminals.
Richard • 9 mths ago
There are alot of people in prison that have either been rehabilitated or rehabilitated them selfs and deserve a second chance, most americans dont believe in second chances and are so unforgiving. Its a crime to leave someone in prison their entire life and they have only committed a single crime in their lifetime. I believe in second chances for everyone.
- NoahH 9 mths ago
  I agree. A person that has done one crime should be given a second chance.
Al • 9 mths ago
I have never understood why it is a crime punishable by jail/prison sentenences to ingest illegal drugs, antifreeze, or rat poison into ones own body. Selling drugs yes. Using drugs no. It makes absolutely no sense and costs taxpayers billion every year.
A Concerned Local Citizen • 9 mths ago
The State of Texas TDCJ would save ALOT of money if they would STOP allowing TDCJ executives to retain their huge salaries, bonuses, etc, while paying their CO's next to nothing. This, and if they stopped the Gov. from allowing illegals to go to college here at IN-STATE RESIDENT RATE, and refusing to prosecute them at the same time!
Cadet57 • 9 mths ago
Yep.. It's Location.. That "Prision" and the nearby pre-release center are (now) surrounded by upper scale homes and developments, shopping (even Golf courses) Texas can make a "killing" on the property... The corner of Hwy 6 and Hwy 90 is "Prime" This is Not because of effective re-hab....Hello...
Catherine • 9 mths ago
It's been a long time coming. They're closing it because the rich folks in Sugar Land complained. "We don't want a f'ing prison in our city anymore!"
A Yahoo! User • 9 mths ago
you can still go to jail in texas for smoking a joint
jeff • 9 mths ago
Rehabilitation not. Rick perry did not want to tax his business buddies to cover the 27 billion dollar deficit. Selling state park land laying, off teachers, but no new taxes.
D.l. AMERICAN • 9 mths ago
want to see a prison that works ,look at angola,its one off or possibly the only prison that adds money to the state general fund every year .they raise cattle,have a quater horse breeding program that raises and sells some top horses they run a farm grow their own food etc,etc. and not working is not an option. OH! almost forgot they use chain gangs also,road repair, ever see cool hand luke.
A_Nonny_Moose • 9 mths ago
During the 99 presidential campaign, Illinois declared a moratorium on the death penalty because new DNA testing kept proving people innocent. So they asked George Bush if he would consider it. His response was "The people of Texas don't make those kinds of mistakes".
Once he moved on to be president, the state of Texas moved to PREVENT DNA testing so as to keep Bush from being embarrassed. Even so, three convicts still managed to get their DNA evidence tested. All three were proven innocent. All three were still murdered because the state refused to retry them so as not to embarrass the president.

No telling how many innocent people were murdered by Bush as the state of Texas STILL refuses to run DNA tests after the fact.
JohnR • 9 mths ago
Sugar Land has exploded growth and averages over $100,000 average family income.....this land is much too valuable to be left as a prison......wonderful chance for the State of Texas to sell the land to developers and make a profit...........Large pecan orchard on property...
roger grant • 9 mths ago
Thing is nonviolent offenders who only get caught doing a vice crime sometimes serve longer sentences than people who've commited murder. Vice is not a crime it's a moral issue and should be treated as such.
Jim II • 9 mths ago
Let's see. They own a 300 acre piece of property in one of the most highly desirable,
highly developed areas in Texas. The entire prison is virtually surrounded by high end
development. Maybe , just maybe, that's why we are shutting down the prison. Location,
Location, Location.
Phxbrd • 9 mths ago
I have a very basic question I'd like answered: Should felons be sent to prison AS punishment or FOR punishment?
Johnson J • 9 mths ago
Once again... Texas got it right... Not Rick Perry... Texas... Bill White was the man in Houston.... Good job Texas.... Tell Bill White to step up and run with Obama...
Chuck • 9 mths ago
This article is a joke........... Texas is a hot bed of crime and illegals........ Nothing but gang bangers in the big cities. Crime is up, murders are up......... and now they close a prison...... geezzzzzzz And for all you nonbelievers go live in San Antonio for a while, then come back and tell me how great it is............
StraightCommo • 9 mths ago
The way to solve Major Crime in Texas is to turn Texas Itself into one Big Penitentiary then don't let anyone out and only put criminals from all over the World there. That way Dubyah Bush and Rick Perry wouldn't be so lonely about being a couple of the Biggest Gangsters (and Losers) 'in' the World.

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