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Texas Prison System Faces Critical Guard Shortage
by Matthew T. Clarke
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is understaffed by 3,152 guards, a 12% deficit compared to full staffing. The shortage has grown each year from an average of 8.5% in 2004. Some prison units have very large staffing shortfalls, including Dalhart (37%), Smith (33%), Coffield …
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is understaffed by 3,152 guards, a 12% deficit compared to full staffing. The shortage has grown each year from an average of 8.5% in 2004. Some prison units have very large staffing shortfalls, including Dalhart (37%), Smith (33%), Coffield …
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More from this issue:
- Prisons as Incubators and Spreaders of Disease and Illness, by John Dannenberg
- U.S. Surgeon General Pressured to Avoid Addressing Prison Health Care
- TB Prevention and Control In Prisons and Jails: New CDC Guidelines, by John Dannenberg
- We’ll Lock Up Your Tired, Your Poor, Your Huddled Masses Yearning to Breathe Free, by Amy Goodman
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Prison Privatization Launders Taxpayer Dollars into Political Contributions, by David Reutter
- Minnesota Prison Industries Managers Ride High on Prison Slavery, by David Reutter
- UN Committee Against Torture Wants Guantanamo Closed
- $2,500 Settlement in False Report of Oregon Prisoner’s Death
- Due Process Required Before Termination from Colorado Sex Offender Treatment Program, by Bob Williams
- BJS Reports Death Penalty Trends In 2005, by Michael Rigby
- Prior Drug Use Stable Among State Prisoners, Rises For Federal Prisoners, by Matthew Clarke
- Accuracy of Sex Offender Registries Questioned By GAO, by Matthew Clarke
- Florida Prison Nurses Net $1 Million for Sexual Harassment by Prisoners
- “State Secrets Privilege” Forecloses CIA-Detainee’s Kidnapping and Torture Suit, by John Dannenberg
- $140,000 Settlement in Death of Asthmatic Texas Prisoner, by Michael Rigby
- Rhode Island Pays $120,000 To Prisoner Forced To Eat Feces, by Michael Rigby
- $1.2 Million Compensation Package Approved For Wrongfully Convicted Georgia Man
- Connecticut: Victims’ Privacy Protection Saves Some Sex Offenders From Public Registration, by John Dannenberg
- Monterey County Grand Jury Report Blasts Two California Prisons, by Marvin Mentor
- New Orleans Prisoners Work on Judge’s House
- Civil Grand Jury Calls San Mateo County Women’s Jail a “Crowded Disgrace”
- United States Sues Georgia County Jail over Unconstitutional Medical and Living Conditions, by John Dannenberg
- An Old Story: District of Columbia Continues Overdetaining and Strip Searching Prisoners
- A Voice From Guantanamo’s Darkness, by Jumah al-Dossari
- Columbus, Ohio Jail’s Seclusion Turns Parole Into Death March
- BJS Report: The Price of Justice in 2003, by Michael Rigby
- Wrongfully Imprisoned California Man Awarded $18 Million
- Prison A Major Factor In Spreading AIDS, by Gary Hunter
- New York Prisoner Awarded $190,000 For Improperly Treated Knee Injury
- Six Florida Federal Prison Guards Convicted, Sentenced On Rape and Corruption Charges, by Matthew Clarke
- Quadriplegic California Prisoner Baked to Death in Transport Van
- Shackling at California Jury Trial, Without Justifying Need, Is Reversible Error
- Texas Prison System Faces Critical Guard Shortage, by Matthew Clarke
- Illinois Jail Prisoner Dies from Dental Infection
- Torture vs Other Cruel, Inhuman, and Degrading Treatment -- Is the Distinction Real or Apparent?, by Metin Basoglu, MD, PhD et al.,, by John Dannenberg
- News in Brief:
- Breaking the Prison Habit, by Mumia Abu-Jamal
- New York Discharge-Planning: The Term “City Jail” Includes Mental Health “Forensic Units”
More from Matthew Clarke:
- Seventh Circuit Grants Qualified Immunity to Detectives Who Revealed Prisoner Was Informant, Denies Him Anonymity, Aug. 1, 2026
- Seventh Circuit Holds Federal Law Prohibits County Jail from Forcing Immigration Detainees to Perform Custodial Labor by Threatening Solitary Confinement, Aug. 1, 2026
- New Mexico Supreme Court Holds Corrections Department Regulations Do Not Exempt Use-Of-Force Documents from Public Records Disclosure, Aug. 1, 2026
- DOJ Issues Memorandum Over BOP Employees Abusing Their Law Enforcement Credentials to Illegally Purchase Personal Firearms, Aug. 1, 2026
- Seventh Circuit Upholds Summary Judgment Against Former Illinois Prison Guards Challenging Termination for Violating Use of Force Policy, Aug. 1, 2026
- Federal Court Issues Preliminary Injunction Barring Enforcement of Executive Order to Transfer Trans Women Prisoners to Men’s Prisons, Aug. 1, 2026
- Idaho Supreme Court Holds Indigent Parents Have Constitutional Right to Counsel at Public Expense, July 1, 2026
- Free Phone Calls Saved Prisoners and Their Families More than $600 Million, Report Finds, July 1, 2026
- California Appeals Court Holds Defendant Cannot Be Penalized for Failing to Appear at Sentencing When He Was Being Held in Another County’s Jail on Preexisting Charges, July 1, 2026
- SCOTUS Reverses Mississippi Capital Conviction, July 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- “Safe Inside” Review Paid for by DOJ Found Prisons Grew Much Deadlier in Five Year-Period, Aug. 1, 2026. Work Conditions/Safety, Statistics/Trends, Cost of Prison Systems, Staffing, Assaults on Staff.
- Detainees Overpower Guards to Take Control of a North Carolina Jail, Aug. 1, 2026. Prison Rebellion, Overcrowding, Staffing, Security Systems, Assaults on Staff.
- Oklahoma County Jail Fails 12th Health Inspection, Aug. 1, 2026. Corrections Audits, Failure to Protect (General), Staffing, Sanitation, Bedding.
- $30,000 Settlement Reached in Virginia Jail Death That Put Richmond Lockup Under State Oversight, Aug. 1, 2026. Jail Misconduct, Failure to Protect (General), Staffing, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Monell Liability.
- BOP Orders Prison Closures Amid Infrastructure Decay and Staff Shortages, Aug. 1, 2026. Transfers, Toxic Fumes/Chemicals, Staffing, Guard Unions.
- Colorado Governor Signs Bill to Expand Earned Time Credits and Other Measures, Aug. 1, 2026. Overcrowding, Overdetention, State Legislation, Credits, Reduction of Prison Population.
- Nevada Prisons Are Facing a Medical Crisis Due to Understaffing, Aug. 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Failure to Treat, Eighth Amendment, Staffing, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- The Exceptionally High Murder Rate Inside Maryland’s Prisons, Aug. 1, 2026. Prison/Jail Murders, Failure to Protect (General), Staffing, Security Systems, Administrative Detention/Segregation.
- New York Closes Rikers Infirmary as Broader Jail Shutdown Plan Stalls, Aug. 1, 2026. Prison Reform, Overcrowding, Jail Specific, Inadequate Health Care Facilities, Reduction of Prison Population.
- Tulsa Jail Shutting Down After Investigative Reporting on Detainee Deaths, Aug. 1, 2026. Contractor Misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Staffing, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness).

