Overview of Findings
The majority of this diverse pool of survey respondents believe the following:
- The primary purpose TDCJ is reintegrating offenders into society through rehabilitation (35%), compared to punishment of a person through confinement (9%).
- Non-violent drug users should be put in programs outside of prison walls to prevent them from committing a drug-related crime again (96%).
- Dollars currently spent on incarcerating non-violent offenders should be redirected towards treatment, with the savings used in other ways, such as education and treatment (95%).
- Probation, parole, and treatment programs should be allocated more criminal justice budget dollars than they are currently getting (94%).
- Parole and probation officers’ job pay raises and promotions should hinge on the successful re-entry of the individuals they oversee (68%).
- TDCJ should notify families of the incarcerated prior to visitation of the potential unavailability of the prisoner (80%), and should provide more family counseling services (66%).
- TDCJ should provide counseling for children with incarcerated parent(s) to better prevent these youth from entering prison (87%), should provide children with incarcerated parent(s) access to tutoring programs to increase their educational success (75%), and should allow for additional parent-child contact through increased visitation time (51%).
- Texas should spend more money on increasing high school graduation rates in order to reduce the number of people entering prison (87%).
- TDCJ should change it policies related to visitation (57%), with families and friends having increased visitation privileges.
- TDCJ should change its policies related to what prisoners should have direct access to through the mail (65%), especially with regards to books, newspapers, and magazines.
- TDCJ should uphold its policies related to prisoners’ access ball games and weightlifting (56%), and its policies related to prisoners’ access to television sets (50%).
- TDCJ should change its policies related to amenities (69%), with prisoners having more access to table games, reading, artwork, and leatherwork.
- Respondents would be more willing to employ individuals convicted for drug possession than drug distribution and especially violent crime.