Thats what I like about Texas.

[K9STH]

Years ago, in the old Collin County (Texas) Prison (many county jails in Texas are called prisons and there are facilities that are state jails), there were 2-cells in the basement over which the sewer lines for the prison ran. For decades, those sewer lines leaked and, no matter what was done, the leaks continued. When a young person was arrested, the sheriff would put that person (or persons) in one of those 2-cells. When the prisoner(s) was/were released, well over 90-percent were never arrested again. The conditions in those 2-cells were so bad that most people would never want to experience them again.

Today, putting a prisoner in such conditions would immediately result in all sorts of lawsuits against the county. However, prior to the early 1970s when that prison was permanently closed, being incarcerated in one of those cells was a major factor in the reformation of first time offenders.

Glen, K9STH

[W5TTW]

(many county jails in Texas are called prisons and there are facilities that are state jails)

Many county jails are called 'prisons' because they are. It is not uncommon to contract bed space from a county to house inmates.

[K9STH]

TTW:

Most people seem to think a facility that houses felons, etc., if owned by a county or city is called a jail and such a facility owned by a state or the Federal Government is a prison. That terminology is pretty much correct in states other than Texas. County facilities in Texas have often been called prisons since, at least, the early 1850s. There are even a few municipal facilities officially called prisons and not jails. Of course, no matter what the "official" name of the facility is, they all serve the same purpose.

The newest facility in Collin County is now called a jail. However, the lettering that is a part of the original building that was called a prison definitely says prison. More and more counties in Texas are now using the term jail. But, there are definitely Texas State jails as well as prisons.

No matter what they are called, I certainly don't intend to become a resident!

Glen, K9STH

[WB2WIK]

Proud to have never been a resident in either one, by great luck.

[W5TTW]

TTW:

Most people seem to think a facility that houses felons, etc., if owned by a county or city is called a jail and such a facility owned by a state or the Federal Government is a prison. That terminology is pretty much correct in states other than Texas. County facilities in Texas have often been called prisons since, at least, the early 1850s. There are even a few municipal facilities officially called prisons and not jails. Of course, no matter what the "official" name of the facility is, they all serve the same purpose.

The newest facility in Collin County is now called a jail. However, the lettering that is a part of the original building that was called a prison definitely says prison. More and more counties in Texas are now using the term jail. But, there are definitely Texas State jails as well as prisons.

No matter what they are called, I certainly don't intend to become a resident!

Glen, K9STH

Very true. I was an investigator at the Sheriff's Department in Hays County many years ago. We housed several federal inmates for the extra cash. They loved to remind us that they were 'federal inmates' and that they were entitled to different conditions than the guys doing other time. It all fell on deaf ears.

[N2EY]

My pet theories:

* There are more people hence more crimes are being committed.

Yep. A lot more people.

* Stress from overpopulation. Years ago, there was a famous experiment where scientists let a population of rats in a cage go unchecked. There came a point when there were too many rats for the space and food supply, so they started turning on each other and doing all kinds of nasty things, including killing each other.

Certainly a factor.

* Bad parenting. Parents not being parents or parents being cruel/abusive parents; either way, it ends badly for the kid and in turn, someone else.

Definitely a factor - but there have been bad parents forever. Look at how Cain and Abel turned out...

* Little or no fear of punishment. For those with few morals or who "play the system", knowing that you can get away with doing destructive, abusive, or criminal acts with little fear of being severely reprimanded, well...

Maybe. But how common was punishment in the past?

---

Some other factors:

1) Changes in mass communications may make it SEEM as if there are more crimes/horrific crimes. In the past, many crimes may not have been reported, or widely reported beyond the immediate area.

For example, consider Chicago. In 1992, there were 943 homicides in that city, but in 2011 there were 440 - less than half. Similar declines have occurred across the country.

2) Crime is often driven by poverty and other economic factors, such as unemployment.

3) Demographics plays a role, too. Certain age groups are much more likely to commit violent crimes than others. The availability of birth control can have a major effect on crime.

4) General "moral climate". IOW, if there is a widespread perception that the folks at the top are crooks, the folks at the bottom have a justification to be crooked too.

73 de Jim, N2EY

[N5CEY]

My pet theories:

* There are more people hence more crimes are being committed.

* Stress from overpopulation. Years ago, there was a famous experiment where scientists let a population of rats in a cage go unchecked. There came a point when there were too many rats for the space and food supply, so they started turning on each other and doing all kinds of nasty things, including killing each other.

* Bad parenting. Parents not being parents or parents being cruel/abusive parents; either way, it ends badly for the kid and in turn, someone else.

* Little or no fear of punishment. For those with few morals or who "play the system", knowing that you can get away with doing destructive, abusive, or criminal acts with little fear of being severely reprimanded, well...

Not quite sure what your connotation is - that since mommy and daddy were jerks, and todays liberal society thinks more of the perp than the victim, then it's "excusable behavior" cause mommy and daddy didn't raise me right. I always wonder whatever happened to accepting responsibility for your own actions being the mark of a mature individual. Like many, my folks both were jerks, and did any number of not so smart things when me and my siblings were growing up. We all overcame that because of [U]our[U] desire to become useful citizens, and lots of hard work.

[WF7A]

I agree--there comes a time where, if the individual is self-confident, has a moral compass, and is emotionally strong enough, that regardless of his bad parents' mistreatment he'll become a productive, law-abiding citizen. No argument there.

However...

If he doesn't have self confidence, has no moral compass, is emotionally weak, and his parents were terrible role models, then he's got a jail cell waiting for him.

Kids learn from example. Take for example a photo that was uploaded here a month or so ago of a man filling an empty, gallon-sized milk container with soda from a soda fountain in a Wal-Mart while his kid is looking on. What message was he sending? "If you can steal something and there's no one to stop you, it's okay." It's lessons like that to kids that will set them down the wrong path and will in turn, make them make bad choices.

[K7FED]

Name a state where someone went to jail for doing what the dad did, in a similar situation.

An actual case, with names, dates, etc.

I don't think you can.

A Chicago mother who was convicted of killing a man that allegedly raped her one-year-old daughter is more than likely to have her sentence of 67 years in prison reduced, according to a September 24, 2010 appeals court decision.

The Illinois appeals court ruled that the judge who originally sentenced the mother to serve 67 years failed to properly consider the "undeniably egregious nature of the provocation" that led to the 2004 killing.

According to police documents the provocation that pushed then 23 year-old Laquita Calhoun "over the edge" in 2004 to improvise a plan that ended in the torture and murder of her neighbor, Alonzo Jones, 29, was his confession to her that he was indeed guilty of sexually molesting / raping her one-year-old daughter.

The appeal states she should get no more than 20 years for the crime of killing the 1 year olds rapist....

[K7JEM]

A Chicago mother who was convicted of killing a man that allegedly raped her one-year-old daughter is more than likely to have her sentence of 67 years in prison reduced, according to a September 24, 2010 appeals court decision.

The Illinois appeals court ruled that the judge who originally sentenced the mother to serve 67 years failed to properly consider the "undeniably egregious nature of the provocation" that led to the 2004 killing.

According to police documents the provocation that pushed then 23 year-old Laquita Calhoun "over the edge" in 2004 to improvise a plan that ended in the torture and murder of her neighbor, Alonzo Jones, 29, was his confession to her that he was indeed guilty of sexually molesting / raping her one-year-old daughter.

The appeal states she should get no more than 20 years for the crime of killing the 1 year olds rapist....

In order for self defense or "stand your ground" laws to be invoked, the incident has to happen in real time. You can't have an altercation with someone, then devise a plan to go to his house and kill him. This father would not have been justified at all had he waited, then killed the purp at a later time. The law looks at what is immediately happening, and what steps have to be taken to stop the assault right now. It doesn't give carte blanche to kill people who are not engaged in an attack.

Joe