See my comments on the proposal below. bsky.app/profile/mich...
04.02.2026 18:24
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See my comments on the proposal below. bsky.app/profile/mich...
In short, this ICE proposal raises a ton of red flags.
@pjil.bsky.social
@TheLBJSchool
@utexaslaw.bsky.social
A judge could potentially block or delay use of the property if that required federal environmental review is not conducted.
One major issue: has there been any environmental testing or environmental impact statement, which is req'd under federal law under NEPA? How would this project affect air quality, water, surrounding land uses, etc.? Are there environmental risks to people inside the facility?
There is no way a facility on this scale (which would be one of the very biggest in the country)--built on the fly--could ever meet detention standards. "It's simply the wrong place to hold human beings."
Also, a project of this scale could affect the surrounding community's water and sewer availability, and be a drain on local utilities. Infectious diseases could spread quickly inside the facility, and spread to the surrounding community, too.
As I said here, "People are not products." They have very real needs, unlike products in an Amazon warehouse: water, sewage, sleeping, eating, medical, care, heating/cooling, exercise, etc. Warehouses are not equipped for massive #s of people. The infrastructure isn't there.
ICE is apparently planning to convert a 1M sq ft warehouse in a small town outside Dallas to a mega-detention facility for 9500 people. For @wfaach8.bsky.social, I weighed in on the problems with this plan, including both humanitarian concerns & environmental issues.
www.wfaa.com/article/news...
Georgetown University launched a research hub tasked with investigating the deaths of minors who perished in juvenile facilities nationwide in the last 150 years, an effort that will initially focus on the graves of Black boys who died in Maryland state custody. https://wapo.st/3MstO9v
The new report “Trapped in Time: The Silent Crisis of Elderly Incarceration” by #ACLU and #PJInnovationLab addresses this issue and makes numerous policy recommendations. www.aclu.org/publications...
If you are a prison oversight practitioner, please join our Network & become part of a strong peer learning community where oversight professionals from around the world can exchange insights, share best practices, and call on each other for information. Contact me for more info.
Proud to serve as the new Chair of the Int’l Experts Network on Prison Oversight and Human Rights for the International Corrections and Prisons Assn (ICPA). Presenting in Istanbul, Turkey at the Annual Conference.
@pjil.bsky.social
@utexaslaw.bsky.social
As I told @keribla.bsky.social, “You simply can't operate a safe facility with that many staff positions vacant…Supervision checks are left undone; staff don't want to intervene in incidents b/c there is no backup; & lockdowns are more frequent b/c staff are not available to take ppl to programs.”
Four deaths in two weeks: What’s behind the surge in violence at one Texas prison
www.houstonchronicle.com/news/investi...
So glad to have finally met you in person—and on the date of this pivotal change in your career, Yvonne! Sending all good wishes your way on your new journey.
The Progressive Scandinavian Prison Model Comes to an Idaho Prison.
Important explainer about investigations of deaths behind bars in Ohio.
And so glad that @keribla.bsky.social is back to stay on top of developments like this!
No shackles, no cuffs: Texas death row loosens solitary confinement for first time in years. Kudos to @tdcj.bsky.social for this new initiative.
www.houstonchronicle.com/news/investi...
This is so shocking and sad—what an untimely passing of a very good man. I was his student and briefly his research assistant, and he was a friend of my husband’s who was in our wedding party. What a legacy he leaves behind. RIP.
If you want to know more abt this issue, check out the Proceedings from last year’s Deaths in Custody conference organized by the Prison and Jail Innovation Lab @pjil.bsky.social : pjil.lbj.utexas.edu/events/death...
To learn more about correctional oversight, consider @micheledeitch.bsky.social's wonderful resource: prisonoversight.org
@pjil.bsky.social
Reminder: kids in adult prisons are especially vulnerable to physical & psychological risks. They face high rates of sexual assault if mixed in w/ adults, & high rates of suicide & MH issues if isolated. Adult prisons are the WORST place for them. Much higher recidivism, too.
Yes, kids need to be held accountable for violent behavior against staff, but this isn’t the way to do it. We need to be asking Qs abt why violence is occurring. Lack of MH treatment or programs? Boredom? Lack of supervision? Response to staff mistreatment? Address THOSE factors.
And cutting off advocates’ access to youth prisons is pretty clearly in retaliation for them reporting abuses of youth to the DOJ. This is happening at a time when our youth prisons need MORE transparency and oversight, not less.
The one thing that we know doesn’t work with them is treating them in ways that are purely punitive. Kids aren’t thinking about the consequences of their actions. These harsher sentences won’t be a deterrent.
The bills are trying to make things much harsher for kids, punishing them for the failures of the system to address their underlying needs. These are 15 & 16 yo kids with very serious needs for mental health treatment & other social services.
The bills will lead to worse outcomes for youth, compromising public safety. All the bills are doing is isolating & punishing youth who are at risk, & making them vulnerable to further abuses.
I was on
@TexasStandard today talking about two bad juv justice bills working their way through #TXLege. One bill would send more young kids to adult prisons; the other cuts off advocates’ access to juv facilities. They roll back 18 yrs of reforms.
www.texasstandard.org/stories/texa...