“The idea was to relieve pressure on the overcrowded prison system while also breaking the cycle of incarceration for low-level felons. Instead, more than two decades later, people leaving state jail have a greater chance of reoffending than any other group in the Texas criminal justice system. Nearly 63 percent of people released from state jails are rearrested, compared to 46 percent of inmates released from Texas prisons, according to Legislative Budget Board data.“

Texas Observer

December 11, 2018