The 88th session of the Texas Legislature kicked off on Tuesday morning with its usual array of pomp and circumstance and an optimistic outlook as lawmakers step into a session with a $32.7 billion surplus. Lawmakers won’t be able to spend all of that surplus — the budget is constrained by at least two spending limits — but it didn’t stop groups from getting their requests in early.
On the opening day of the Texas Legislature’s 2023 session, a group of young people, formerly incarcerated organizers, advocates, and organizations will gather for a rally and advocacy day. The event is hosted by the Finish the 5 Coalition, which is advocating to close Texas’ inhumane youth prisons and instead invest in kids and communities. More information is available on the event registration page.
After a series of U.S. Supreme Court cases, states were required to eliminate mandatory life without parole sentences for youth under 18 years of age. Texas now requires people who would have received that sentence to instead serve 40 years before becoming eligible for parole, a de facto life sentence that provides no reasonable opportunity to build a life outside of prison.
In Texas, 10-, 11-, and 12-year-olds can and do become entangled in the juvenile punishment system, despite crime rates being low for this age group.1 While, in most cases, children under 13 are placed on juvenile probation, that system comes with conditions that even adults struggle to comply with, and it sets kids down the pipeline to prison.
Multiple crises in the Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD) have led to inhumane conditions for approximately 600 children in its care. Facilities are dangerously understaffed, leaving kids trapped in tiny cells for as many as 23 hours a day without access to bathrooms. Programming has been cut, removing opportunities for rehabilitation and socialization.
On December 3, a group of formerly incarcerated and justice system-impacted Texans will convene in Austin. The event, “From Prison to Power: Finding Your Voice After Incarceration,” is organized by the Texas Center for Justice and Equity’s Statewide Leadership Council (SLC) and partners.
Today, the Texas Center for Justice and Equity (TCJE) released a policy brief outlining a path to closing Texas’s five youth prisons by 2027.
