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| The committee will meet to hear invited and public testimony for the |
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| Interim Charge 1: Determine how private prisons are complying with state |
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| laws and how cost, safety, living conditions and rehabilitative services |
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| at private prisons compare with state-run facilities. Include an |
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| assessment of the staff turnover rates and compensation of private |
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| contractors when compared with state-operated facilities, and of the |
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| contract bidding processes used by the Texas Youth Commission and the |
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| Texas Department of Criminal Justice. |
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| Interim Charge 4: Monitor the implementation of the new and expanded |
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| programs provided to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) |
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| within the Fiscal Year 2008 and 2009 budget, and identify their impact on |
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| the criminal justice populations. Study security issues within TDCJ, |
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| including staffing issues, use of lock down procedures, the control and |
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| containment of infectious diseases and the introduction and control of |
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| contraband within the institutions. Review the use of career ladders for |
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| employees of TDCJ and issues surrounding the retention of professional |
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| corrections staff. Study the issues of independent oversight of TDCJ, |
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| including the use and effectiveness of the TDCJ ombudsman system. Provide |
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| recommendations for the reduction or elimination of barriers to an |
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| effective corrections system. |
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| Interim Charge 9: Review the processes for re-entry of criminal offenders |
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| into communities. Identify barriers to the successful return to |
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| law-abiding behavior, including the absence of employment opportunities |
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| created by restriction on obtaining certain state occupational licenses. |
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| Provide recommendations for improvements to our current statutes governing |
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