Texas Jail Project is a group that works on issues to do with county jail, not Texas prisons – and since there are 245 county jails in Texas, we have our work cut out for us. But my work as a writer drew me to a non-jail topic; when a friend raved to me about the women and babies at the BAMBI program I knew I wanted to explore that in a story. Here it is in the new Texas Observer: http://www.texasobserver.org/cover-story/babysteps

Houston Community College is working with 205 inmates now, teaching trades and encouraging them to enroll in classes after they are released. We are glad to hear of any classes or training made available to county jail inmates – but we have to ask: are their classes geared to women inmates as well? Females in our jails usually receive fewer opportunities like this.

by Judy Sheridan, October 26, 2011     CNHI PARKER COUNTY — Driving through Parker County, jail trustees are a common sight, clearly visible in their bright orange shirts and striped pants as they paint, flag traffic, clear brush or work at the animal shelter. Their efforts — mainly manual labor — amount to thousands of hours
[continue reading...]

Via KXAN by Jim Swift, Friday, 17 Jun 2011, 6:46 PM CDT AUSTIN (KXAN) – Five days a week, a handful of Travis County Jail inmates rise at the crack of dawn and head out to a 3 1/2 acre garden in their own back yard. Racing to beat 100-plus temperatures, they don sunglasses and
[continue reading...]

by Jorge Antonio Renaud “Why should we let you in?” I’m at a Sonic Drive-In, speaking with a woman charged with educational/recreational programming for the Del Valle Correctional Complex, a fancy name for a county jail in Austin, Texas. A guy who recently began venturing into the jail to teach creative writing has asked me
[continue reading...]

by Brandi Grissom—January 28, 2010 http://www.texastribune.org/blogs/post/2010/jan/28/tribblog-family-values-jail/ Local elected officials and civil rights groups urged legislators at a committee hearing today to implement more programs for women and girls in Texas prisons and jails. A lack of gender-specific programs for incarcerated women leads to higher recidivism rates, said Diana Claitor, Texas Jail Project director. Women with
[continue reading...]

“Heaven and Hell in Cameron County Jail” by TJP director Diana Claitor, is online. This feature story in the Texas Observer* explores events in Brownsville since chaplain Gail Hanson spoke out about dismal conditions in the women’s jail, the sheriff banned her from entering the jail, the community became involved and a federal lawsuit was
[continue reading...]

When you turn off of Highway 71 onto Farm Road 973 it feels, for a moment, like you have finally reached the edge of Austin. The fields on your left open up into a dark green sea scattered with white and blue flowers that fade off into the hazy distance. On the right sits the Travis County Correctional Complex, an enormous, ominous-looking compound.