An Evaluation of the Legislative Response: The Prison Management Act

Abstract

As crimes, arrests, convictions, and incarcerations increased throughout Texas in the 1980s, the state found it increasingly difficult to comply with the Ruiz decision and, in particular, the mandate to limit the inmate population. Under the threat of “astronomical fines” of some $800,500 per day or $24 million per month, the Seventieth Legislature responded in part by passing a revised Prison Management Act in 1987. The primary objective of the new PMA was to speed up the release of eligible parolees by awarding administrative good-conduct time to those eligible for parole or by accelerating the parole eligibility and review date of selected inmates.

This chapter was coauthored with Carl Reynolds.