In a move that surprised many in the prison reform community, the president of the local chapter of a Texas prison guards’ union wrote a letter to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) on January 20, 2014, urging officials to introduce major reforms in the state’s handling of death row prisoners.
Lance Lowry, president of Huntsville’s Local 3807 of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), wrote the letter amid the TDCJ’s review of conditions at the Polunsky Unit in Livingston, where Texas death row prisoners are held.
Prisoners at Polunsky are housed in solitary confinement, confined to their cells 23 hours a day. “Recreation” comes in the form of exercise for one hour per day, alone in a dog-run type enclosure. Televisions are not permitted, nor are prisoners allowed to use the telephone or participate in education, work, or religious programs.
Published Oct 6, 2015 by Christopher Zoukis, JD, MBA | Last Updated by Christopher Zoukis, JD, MBA on Jun 19, 2023 at 12:19 am
