TexasCHLforum.com

nearly 90 percent of litter on Texas highways is removed by paid contractors — not by convicts as many folks assume

-TXDot

I've never seen a convict road crew in Texas. In my recent travels through AL I've been past at least two, and I only spent 2 or 3 days there.

Just thought it was weird. Anyone have insight into this topic?

Inmates in Texas prisons do road clean up as well as the majority of maintenenace in the prisons. They've even done city maintenance jobs. They are required to to work or receive discipline even though they are not paid anything for working. Texas is one of they few states that doesn't compensate. Recenently passed legislation now charges inmates $100 for each medical visit. Most but not all inmates have money accounts funded by loved ones and friends to buy the toiletries, food items, stamps. etc. Texas has the most criminally minded citizens in the entire US based on prisoner population, parolees and probationer numbers.

Go to NC and you see convicts on the side of the road ALL THE TIME picking up trash. I don't know if they get paid, but I do know they do road clean up.

Burnet County
They do yardwork/maintenance/pickup at city/county parks and .... schools.
I kinda wonder at the wisdom of putting convicted sexual predators out at the schools ...
I rarely see the guards/drivers, just the convicts and in parks the convicts use golf carts, no guard nearby.

I'm guessing they are pretty selective about which convicts get to do that work.

Maybe I need to get around more.

puma guy wrote:Inmates in Texas prisons do road clean up as well as the majority of maintenenace in the prisons. They've even done city maintenance jobs. They are required to to work or receive discipline even though they are not paid anything for working. Texas is one of they few states that doesn't compensate. Recenently passed legislation now charges inmates $100 for each medical visit. Most but not all inmates have money accounts funded by loved ones and friends to buy the toiletries, food items, stamps. etc. Texas has the most criminally minded citizens in the entire US based on prisoner population, parolees and probationer numbers.

Not if you subtract the idiots from the other 49 states and foreign countries who come to Texas thinking they can get away with the same things they did where they came from. Texas has a large Illegals population in their prison system.

OldCurlyWolf wrote:

puma guy wrote:Inmates in Texas prisons do road clean up as well as the majority of maintenenace in the prisons. They've even done city maintenance jobs. They are required to to work or receive discipline even though they are not paid anything for working. Texas is one of they few states that doesn't compensate. Recenently passed legislation now charges inmates $100 for each medical visit. Most but not all inmates have money accounts funded by loved ones and friends to buy the toiletries, food items, stamps. etc. Texas has the most criminally minded citizens in the entire US based on prisoner population, parolees and probationer numbers.

Not if you subtract the idiots from the other 49 states and foreign countries who come to Texas thinking they can get away with the same things they did where they came from. Texas has a large Illegals population in their prison system.

You have a point about the number of illegals incarcerated in Texas. There are something like 750,00 people in prison, or under some form of supervision by TDCJ system if my statistical memory serves me. As for coming from other states to commit offenses, I was at Ranger Stadium last night and saw a robbery at first base in the forth inning. The guy was from St. Louis named Ron Kulpa.

Go Rangers!

puma guy wrote: Texas has the most criminally minded citizens in the entire US based on prisoner population, parolees and probationer numbers.

Say what?

SIA

surprise_i'm_armed wrote:

puma guy wrote: Texas has the most criminally minded citizens in the entire US based on prisoner population, parolees and probationer numbers.

Say what?

SIA

Actually I stand corrected asI just found that Louisiana out does us per capita @ 881 per 100,000.

I think we still have the highest number of people under justice system supervision ie. in prison, in jail, on probation or parole (approx 750,000.)

That still doesn't necessarily mean we have the most criminal-minded population. It could result from more severe punishments, better enforcement, less deal cutting, ...

True. If you base a states "criminal-leanings" on pure statistics, CA would probably be amongst the lowest since they simply let thousands loose, back into the general population.

Purplehood wrote:True. If you base a states "criminal-leanings" on pure statistics, CA would probably be amongst the lowest since they simply let thousands loose, back into the general population.

If they are released after completing their sentences they're not included in the statistic in California or Texas thus would not be supervised, so I don't think that explains it. The highest per capita rating is dynamic among several southern states and Alaska gets high ratings as well. I am wary of statistics and always take them in the vein of Samual Clements' comment. With that said I don't know of another way to campare. I know California under Jerry Brown became a punisment vs rehabilitation system like Texas. Both states have a lot of prisoners on population alone with ratings of 1 and 2 respectively. Obviuosly California numbers would be higher if like Texas they took a harser approach on marijuana cases.

Texas is number 50 on per prisoner expenditure. That number didn't specify, but I assume it doesn't include the cost for construction of prisons, just the maintenence, guards, food, etc. Medical was listed separately, though we among the lowest rating for that as well.