Texas Prison Bid'ness

Paul Wright, editor of Prison Legal News, appeared on the radio show Law and Disorder to discuss his recent victory in a lawsuit against the Washington Department of Corrections (DOC). The court decision requires the DOC to pay Prison Legal News $541,000 in fines and legal fees for violating the state’s Public Records Act through withholding and destroying government documents related to medical abuse and neglect in Washington’s prisons.

This court decision has serious implications for the thousands of men and women incarerated in private prisons and jails throughout Texas. In this conversation, Wright specifically mentions how private prison firms seek to undermine public information laws. The ability of private companies to skirt the issue is one reason it is important for the care of prisoners to remain in the public domain.

We recently provided information in the post entitled, "Finding Information on Texas Prisoners" where we outline basic requirements on the Texas Public Information Law. Whether someone is in a state-run prison or a private prison, if they are a Texas prisoner, they and their family members can still get information about them. This Washington State ruling can serve as a reminder to states that they should not expect to hang a curtain of secrecy around their prisons by contracting with a private corporation.