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[email protected] Web Page: www.texindbar.org Texas Independent Bar Association Austin, Texas 78767 Copyright © 2013 Texas Independent Bar Association and the following Commentators Alan Curry John G. Jasuta Doug O’Brien Helena Faulkner Charles Mallin Greg Sherwood Jeffrey S. Garon Gail Kikawa McConnell David A. Schulman Lee Haidusek Angela J. Moore Kevin P. Yeary Editor-in-Chief: John G. Jasuta Clicking a hyperlink (such as a judge’s name) will load the linked opinion It is TIBA’s policy that commentators do not summarize or comment on or document in your web browser. cases in which they were involved. Volume 21, Number 17 ~ Monday, April 29, 2013 (No. 958) Featured Article What to Do with Texas’ Undercrowded Prisons? © 2013 - David A. Schulman and John G. Jasuta RETURN TO TABLE OF CONTENTS According to figures gleaned from the official website site of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (“TDCJ”), Texas currently has 114 facilities, some operated by private contractors, but the majority operated by the State (see Table “A” attached hereto), which are capable of housing approximately 164,000 inmates. As the current Texas legislative session winds down, “inquisitive minds” wonder if there will be an effort by the Legislature to cut some long terms costs by closing some of the current units. In an article in the Fort-Worth Star Telegram (“Lawmakers Look to Close Private Prison in Mineral Wells”), writer Dave Montgomery detailed discussions in the Senate Finance Committee on the question of whether the State should close the privately run prison in Mineral Wells.