By:  Leedom, Lucio                                     S.C.R. No. 5
                             SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
    1-1        WHEREAS, Presently there are approximately 53,000 inmates in
    1-2  the Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Institutional Division
    1-3  and another 20,000 in county jails awaiting transfer to the state
    1-4  system; and
    1-5        WHEREAS, Additional building costs and payments to counties
    1-6  in lieu of accepting their prisoners will cost the state over $800
    1-7  million during the next biennium; and
    1-8        WHEREAS, Even this ambitious building program will be
    1-9  inadequate to keep pace with the projected growth of the prison
   1-10  inmate population which is expected to rise to over 92,000 by 1996;
   1-11  and
   1-12        WHEREAS, Prison overpopulation is not only expensive, but
   1-13  also increases the early release of unrehabilitated criminals
   1-14  resulting in convicted felons serving only 13 percent of their
   1-15  sentences down from 33 percent in 1985; and
   1-16        WHEREAS, This high turnover of prisoners provides little
   1-17  deterrent to crime resulting in a 43 percent rate of recidivism
   1-18  within three years of release; and
   1-19        WHEREAS, New solutions should be explored to mitigate
   1-20  problems related to crime, corrections, and recidivism which plague
   1-21  our society; now, therefore, be it
   1-22        RESOLVED by the 73rd Legislature of the State of Texas, That
   1-23  the Criminal Justice Policy Council investigate the desirability of
    2-1  contracting with one or more foreign governments for the placement
    2-2  of prisoners from the institutional division of the Texas
    2-3  Department of Criminal Justice for confinement within the
    2-4  jurisdiction of that government; and, be it further
    2-5        RESOLVED, That the policy council report, not later than
    2-6  December 31, 1994, for consideration by the 74th Legislature its
    2-7  findings, including the identification of any legal impediments and
    2-8  required remedial actions; cost-benefits; humaneness; deterrent or
    2-9  rehabilitative potential; the ability of the government to
   2-10  guarantee that the correctional facilities and operational
   2-11  standards will meet requirements of state and federal mandates;
   2-12  access to and supervision by Texas Department of Criminal Justice
   2-13  personnel; or any other relevant criminal justice or corrections
   2-14  value of this concept.