State criminal justice systems are never the same, one state to the next, as each system depends on a state’s population, geographic size, demographics, political inclinations, class factors, poverty rate, cultural influences, and economic incentives. In just a few sections, this article briefly summarizes critical aspects of Texas’s criminal justice sector, beginning with studying Texas’s prison population and per capita incarceration data.

Studying a state’s prison population – and, more importantly, the percentage of the population that is incarcerated – gives one a quick look at how a state operates its criminal justice sector. However, to truly understand criminal justice in Texas (or any other state for that matter), one should locate answers to the following questions:

• What criminal rehabilitation programs are used in Texas?
• Are there alternatives to incarceration in Texas?
• How many people are incarcerated in Texas?
• What are the biggest prisons in Texas?
• What is Texas’s recidivism rate?
• What is Texas’s crime rate?

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, Texas has the seventh-highest incarceration rate in the nation, ahead of Georgia but behind Idaho. Texas incarcerates 443 people for every 100,000 living in the state, and the national incarceration rate is about 350 for every 100,000.¹

The National Institute of Corrections reports that Texas holds about 69,610 people in detention in 252 jails across 254 counties (per 2019 data).² Texas also manages 61 state prisons, where it incarcerates about 158,429 people. Texas also manages a community corrections program with 367,753 people under probation and 109,159 under parole. According to the Urban Institute, state-operated facilities work off a $3,287,273,079 annual budget, the seventh costliest budget item in the state.³ Texas employs about 35,000 people in its Department of Corrections.

Image courtesy of gov.texas.gov

As of May 2022, seven private prisons operated in Texas, responsible for incarcerating about 12,516 inmates, or 7.9% of Texas’s total incarcerated population.⁴ The Huntsville Unit, a state prison, was established in 1849 and is located near downtown Huntsville. It is the largest prison in Texas, capable of incarcerating 1,705 people.⁵

What is the crime rate in Texas? Is the Texas crime rate up? Or down? Understanding crime in Texas provides a good look into whether the state’s criminal justice system works. According to Texas’s reporting system tasked with gathering annual crime data, in 2021, Texas recorded the following:⁶

• Rape crimes rose 9%, with 49 crimes committed per 100,000 compared to 45 in 2020.
• Robberies fell 17% in 2021, with 75 crimes committed per 100,000 compared to 91 in 2020.
• The murder rate is also up, with seven murders committed per 100,000 compared to 6.6. in 2020.
• Aggravated assaults rose 2.6%, with 307 crimes committed per 100,000 compared to 299 in 2020.
• Texas ranks 11th most dangerous in the nation, with 440 violent crimes per 100,000 residents recorded in 2021.
• Texas has the ninth-highest poverty rate, with 14.2% of residents in poverty (poverty being a predictor of crime).

Overall, crime rates fell slightly in Texas from 2020 to 2021, even as Texas continues to have one of the highest crime rates in the nation. According to the state data, Texas authorities recorded 3,410 crimes per 100,000 in 2021, including violent and property crimes, and in 2020, the figure was 3,454.8.

If crime rates are a good metric for understanding the efficacy of a state’s criminal justice system, recidivism rates are even better. According to a 2016 policy analysis, Texas has a 21.5% recidivism rate, meaning one in five individuals released from prison in Texas are returned to prison within three years following release.⁷

While the ideal recidivism rate is zero, Texas has a lower rate than many U.S. states.

Image courtesy of nida.nih.gov

The goal of any criminal justice system should always be its improvement. While Texas has innovated several evidence-based reform modalities for its prisoners, areas where the state could focus more intently include:

• Substance abuse and addiction recovery programs for offenders who use drugs and alcohol
• Work training and vocational programs to help offenders learn employable skills for post-incarceration life
• Life skills training and coping strategies/programs to help offenders live crime-free lives following their release

In addition to the above types of programs, Texas criminal justice would benefit considerably by implementing educational programs within prisons in Texas. As more research is carried out and released regarding the origins of criminal behavior, it is increasingly clear that criminal actions can usually be traced back to critical life hardships and difficult situations one could not cope with or work their way out of in a healthy manner. Such is what lands so many Texans in jail. However, when an offender is empowered with the education and the real-life tools they need to get to the bottom of what led them to crime in the first place, they’re more likely to foster the skills and healthy coping strategies they need to avoid committing crimes in the future.

Last but not least, Texas should commit to creating alternatives to incarceration in the Lone Star state. Texas has historically had a tough-on-crime and an incarcerate first, ask questions later approach to criminal behavior, which unfortunately exposes a lot of Texans to the prison system when they would be better off engaging in a prison alternative. Particularly for non-violent crimes and drug possession offenses, Texan criminal justice officials should consider implementing prison alternatives like:

• Probation
• House arrest
• Community service
• Work release programs
• Substance abuse programs

With more evidence-based alternatives to incarceration and true reform-based programs in prisons in Texas, the state can reduce its crime and recidivism rates while improving public safety for all Texans.