Day 1: 11/29/09
Today I turned myself into Dallas County for probation violation. Here’s my plan: To write to this journal every day if possible. And the scary part? To be truthfully honest with myself and with the journal. Even now my mind is backtracking on the honest part; the repercussion, the feelings it will hurt, etc. Read more

I was unfortunate enough to be held captive in the Comal County Jail (New Braunfels) for one year until August 2006 (Eleven months of that time served was an illegal detention). Their reckless disregard for human life and medical negligence caused the death of more than one inmate during my stay there, including a 68 year old man. He was very ill from cirrhosis and I heard his calls for help, but the staff (including the nurse at the time, Mrs Hood) refused to contact emergency services. He was dead a few hours later. I suspect that the negligent deaths continue to this day.Read more

An Abilene woman steps up and speaks out in this remarkable video clip at a gathering to protest conditions in the Taylor County Jail.

From The Lance Reports:

Lisa Mijares claims to have given birth to her son three years ago in the Taylor County Jail in Abilene, TX. After allerting correctional staff that she was in labor, her request for help was reportedly ignored.Read more

Sarah was sentenced to 180 days at the Harris County Jail on a misdemeanor from Family Court. There are two jails in Harris County: Big Baker and Little Baker. Sarah spent time in both and eventually served a total of three months. Big Baker is the housing for inmates who are considered High Risk. She thinks that the maximum number of inmates allowed by the state is 9,300, but they crowd in up to 12,000 at a time. Little Baker is reserved for those who are seen as posing little or no risk.Read more

The names in the following article have been changed to protect the privacy of both the inmate it is about and the woman who shared it with Texas Jail Project.

Last fall, Mary T. was temporarily jailed in Bell County on a charge related to her military service. Mary shared a cell with Jane, a woman Mary described as "healthy and vivacious." Mary's stay in the Bell County Jail was fortunately a short one, but Jane was serving an 18-month sentence and had been incarcerated since March 2006.Read more

Letter to TJP from former inmate Margie Snider, November 28, 2006

I was put in the Dallas County Jail on May 1st for Civil Contempt—for missing child support payments the previous year to my angry, rich ex-husband. Even though I was paying, with the money coming out of my payroll checks, the fact that I had missed some earlier payments gave him a loophole and a way to sue me. He found a way to once again use/abuse the system put in place for our children to cause me suffering.Read more