Would you help Texas Jail Project ensure the constitutional rights of prisoners to receive and read publications? A majority of people in 245 local jails are pretrial or awaiting disposition of their cases–not even convicted–and yet in some, they are not allowed to read anything except the Bible. We need volunteers to help us conduct an a survey of jail policy, by phoning the jails. More details available if you email us at diana@texasjailrproject.org … Sheriffs and jails forbidding reading material is such a problem that the Texas Commission on Jail Standards posted a letter on their website last fall, saying, “In other words, personal preferences of jail staff should not be a basis for banning a particular publication.” (See http://www.tcjs.state.tx.us/docs/TAMemoPrisonLegalNews.pdf)

If you are looking for answers to questions about your county jail, you may not find much on their website and many Texans report finding it very difficult to get any answers on the phone, because they never can get a real person on the line! On the other hand, Grimes County has a helpful

I found the Texas Jail Project website and helped my mother write to make all the contacts that are suggested on the complaint page. I just wanted to thank you for your site. I feel sorry for the inmates that aren’t having their basic rights respected or acknowledged. Because they don’t have people who look

By Melinda Hieber, Complaints Investigator, in the newsletter of the Texas Commission on Jail Standards. (Be aware that the article is aimed at jail administrators and sheriffs, not the general public.) Fiscal year 2010 is coming to a close. However, I wanted to share with you our final numbers from FY 2009. I hope that

by Jerry Daniel Reed, ReporterNews.com Leaders of the Texas Jail Project on Tuesday delivered a harsh indictment of the Taylor County Jail, including a mock “Texas Hellhole Award.” The organization announced the designation at a news conference and rally at the war memorial north of the Taylor County Courthouse that attracted roughly two dozen people.

We think Angela deserves a round of applause! She refused to give up even when she was ignored. Angela’s brother had a terminal condition and desperately needed his medication, but wasn’t receiving it in their jail. Angela sent them a 1500 word complaint, and sent the same complaint to the biggest paper in her area, the Victoria Advocate, and they published it. Then she found us, emailed us and Diane Wilson drove over and had a conversation with the sheriff. Then, finally, the jail staff paid attention.