I thought of the many times I have wanted to write and either didn't take the time or didn't think what I had to say mattered. Because of this experience, I have made a commitment to put my thoughts on paper more than ever. I hope others will join me. A lot of column space has been given to various stories concerning Texas prisons. I don't see any letters that comment on any of those stories, either from the public or from inmates.
Several factors contribute to the prison population explosion.
One is the sentence itself. A person serving a 10-year who does three years will and must do seven more years on parole. Then the parole board considers releasing the offender at that time. So a 10-year term beginning in 1995 will not possibly end before 2005 and even then may not end. Almost every other state does not do this.