What happens in Austin affects every man and woman behind the walls of Texas. The Church must be informed, engaged, and praying. Here is what is at stake.
The Texas Legislature convenes in regular session every two years — in odd-numbered years. The 89th Legislature met in 2025 and passed significant changes to bail, parole, and prison education, but left many urgent prison conditions issues unresolved. The 90th Legislature will convene in January 2027.
Texas houses more than 130,000 people in its state prison system — one of the largest in the nation. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) operates across 100+ units. The conditions inside those units, the rights of incarcerated people, and the support available to their families are all shaped by what lawmakers decide in Austin.
The Church has a biblical mandate to care about this. Jesus said so explicitly in Matthew 25. That means being informed, praying, and — when possible — speaking up. This page is designed to help you do all three.
"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy."
— Proverbs 31:8–9These are the prison-related issues expected to come before Texas lawmakers in 2027, based on interim legislative charges and ongoing litigation.
The majority of Texas prison units do not have air conditioning in housing areas. Temperatures inside cells regularly exceed 100°F during Texas summers, leading to heat-related deaths and serious illness. A federal court case has put pressure on TDCJ, and the department itself estimates it would cost more than $1.5 billion to fully cool all its prisons.
The 89th Legislature allocated $118 million for AC installation — a fraction of what is needed. House Bill 3006, which would have required full climate control in all prisons by 2032, failed to pass. In 2026, allegations in a trial highlighted heat deaths and dangerous conditions.
The 90th Legislature will face renewed pressure — from courts, advocates, and grieving families — to adequately fund prison climate control. This is not a comfort issue. People are dying.
The Senate Committee on Criminal Justice has received an explicit interim charge to study contraband in TDCJ prisons before the 90th Legislature convenes. The committee will: identify contraband detection technology, evaluate data linking contraband to inmate deaths and overdoses, and make recommendations to eliminate contraband in Texas prison units.
Contraband — particularly cell phones and drugs — drives gang activity, violence, and drug overdose deaths inside units. Investigations have shown that a significant share of contraband drugs are brought in by corrections staff, not just visitors or mail. Addressing this requires systemic reform, not just inmate-focused enforcement.
House Bill 3725 in the 89th Legislature would have ended the practice of placing inmates in indefinite solitary confinement solely because of their gang classification. The bill was never heard in committee and died without a vote.
Texas uses administrative segregation — isolation for 22–24 hours per day — extensively. Mental health experts and human rights organizations have documented the severe psychological damage that prolonged isolation causes. Many people exit solitary confinement in worse mental health condition than when they entered, making successful reentry more difficult.
Advocates and reform organizations expect solitary confinement reform to return in 2027.
The 89th Legislature passed Senate Bill 2405, which strengthened the role of Windham School District — the only school district in the U.S. that operates exclusively inside prison units — in overseeing post-secondary education programs in TDCJ facilities. The bill enables better data-sharing to measure what works, and creates an advisory council to approve, monitor, and update prison education programs.
Education is one of the most proven reducers of recidivism. People who earn a degree or vocational credential while incarcerated are significantly less likely to return to prison. Expanding access to quality education is both humane and fiscally smart.
Also passed: Senate Bill 676 now allows inmates to earn good conduct time by regularly attending religious services or studying religious texts — a direct acknowledgment that faith-based engagement reduces recidivism and promotes rehabilitation.
In the 89th Legislature, a Texas Senate bill proposed allowing youth as young as 15 to be sent to adult Texas prisons — transferring juveniles from the Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD) to TDCJ adult facilities. The bill drew sharp criticism from advocacy organizations including Texas Appleseed.
Research consistently shows that youth placed in adult prisons face dramatically higher rates of abuse, trauma, and recidivism compared to youth held in juvenile facilities. Placing a 15-year-old in an adult prison unit does not rehabilitate — it hardens, traumatizes, and cycles the same child back into the system at an older age, with more damage.
The 89th Legislature passed significant changes to Texas's bail and parole system — focused primarily on keeping violent repeat offenders incarcerated longer. While public safety is a legitimate concern, advocates note that the legislation missed an opportunity to strengthen reentry support for people who are released.
People released from Texas prisons often lack housing, identification, employment, mental health support, and community connection. Without these, recidivism is nearly inevitable — not because people choose to fail, but because the system releases people with almost nothing and expects a different outcome.
Reentry legislation, housing assistance, expungement reform, and transitional employment programs are expected to come before the 90th Legislature.
You don't have to be a lobbyist or a lawyer to make a difference in Texas prison policy.
Find your Texas State Senator and State Representative at capitol.texas.gov. These are the people who vote on prison legislation. They represent you. They work for you. Know their names.
Call or email your State Senator and Representative about prison conditions, air conditioning, solitary confinement, and youth in adult prisons. You do not need a formal letter. A constituent phone call carries more weight than most people realize. Be respectful. Be clear. Be persistent.
The Texas Criminal Justice Coalition tracks every bill related to prisons and criminal justice in Texas. Sign up for their alerts so you know when to act before deadlines pass.
Texas Appleseed is a nonprofit legal advocacy organization that works on criminal justice reform, including youth justice, solitary confinement, and prison conditions. Follow their work and share it with your church community.
Pray for Texas legislators by name. Pray for TDCJ leadership. Pray for the men and women in prison who will be affected by these decisions. Pray for reform advocates and for the people working inside the system who want change. Prayer is not the least you can do — it is the most powerful thing you can do.
When the 90th Legislature convenes in January 2027, committee hearings will be held on these issues. Anyone can testify. If you have a family member in TDCJ, a personal story of reentry, or a ministry connection to these issues — your voice belongs in that hearing room. We will share information here when hearings are scheduled.
Every movement for prison reform in American history has been led, in significant part, by people of faith. The Quakers. The abolitionists. The civil rights movement. People who read the same Bible we read and decided they could not stay quiet.
The 90th Texas Legislature is not a political issue. It is a human issue. It is a children's issue. It is a Matthew 25 issue. Will the Church show up?
Connect With the MinistryAre you a formerly incarcerated person, a family member, a corrections officer, or a reentry worker? We want to hear from you. Your story matters for advocacy.
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