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Executive Director: Budget reductions expected
The 82nd Texas Legislature convenes on Tuesday, January 11, 2011.
Although media reports vary as to the amount, every report indicates lawmakers will confront a multibillion dollar budget shortfall. TDCJ Executive Director Brad Livingston recently answered questions about how the upcoming legislative session and the state’s budget situation might impact the agency and its employees...
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State-of-the-art power and communications unit ready for disaster deployment
Should TDCJ face a major emergency, the Information Technology Department (ITD) is ready to respond by deploying its new, state-of-the-art power and communications unit.
The Mobile Emergency Response Command (MERC) trailer, purchased with a Public Safety Interoperable Communications grant from the federal Department of Commerce, can be used for communications emergencies, escapes, unit outages, or TDCJ functions or exercise requiring established communications...
__________________________________________________________________Huntsville Unit shop supervisor brings new life to classic cars
Gary Pool isn’t a wealthy man, but you wouldn’t know it by his rides. The Huntsville Unit Machine Shop floor supervisor routinely drives classic cars that cost a pretty penny when they rolled off the assembly line and are worth a small fortune today when fully restored.
Take the 1929 Cadillac he spent a year restoring for owner Billy Thomas of Richards, Texas...
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Timely rains grow bountiful grain, cotton crops for TDCJ
What a difference a little rain makes. For TDCJ, the right amount of rain at the right times produced a far greater harvest of grains and cotton this year than in drought-stricken 2009.
Corn production more than doubled in 2010 from the previous year, with approximately 67.3 million pounds harvested from 12,000 acres. Cotton production rose from 6,337 bales in 2009 to a projected 9,500 bales this year. Hay production remained about the same, with 35 million pounds baled on 6,700 acres across the state...
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Taking back control through Victim Offender Mediation/Dialogue
After a crime has been committed, trying to make sense out of what happened can be daunting for the victim. Relentless brooding over why someone would choose to hurt or kill another person can haunt dreams, result in long-term sadness, anger, fear and anxiety, and even produce a sense of loss of one’s own self. The opportunity to describe the impact of the crime to the offender and to ask unanswered questions can be one component of recovery. It can mean regaining control and moving forward in life...
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