[fnordfnordfnord]

>What can you tell us about the quality of life for prisoners in TDCJ?

Awful, No air conditioning, terrible food, not enough to do, terrible medical care, exactly what you would expect in Texas, only worse.

>Where is the line between giving prisoners something to do vs giving them to much?

Idle hands and so forth. Prison officials have very little with which to manage inmates' behavior. Anything that can stave off the intense boredom of incarceration would probably help in the management of prisons. Unfortunately for everyone, the Wyndham School System program (education for inmates) was recently cancelled in Texas to cut expenses. I expect that will just make it even more difficult for future ex-convicts to succeed in any meaningful way after release, increasing recidivism.

>Are we working on ways to keep prisons from being "Criminal University"?

I'm not sure what you mean, but we sure do seem to produce a lot of inmates in this country.

[Zikes]

By "Criminal University" I assume they are referring to the phenomenon of a person going to prison for something minor, e.g. like stealing a bike, and coming out with intimate knowledge of how to commit more serious crimes.

[fnordfnordfnord]

In that case, yes, it's a real phenomena. People go in for minor things. They make contacts (network). After release many have no (real) alternative but to participate in criminal activity since they cannot find a job due to their background check.