STATE OF TEXAS OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR AUSTIN, TEXAS 78711 WILLIAM P. CLEMENTS. JR. GOVERNOR Dear Members of the Legislature: July 2, 1987 We are faced with monumental challenges during this special session of the Seventieth Legislature. None of these is more vital to the citizens of Texas than addressing the needs of the criminal justice system. Public opinion is absolutely unanimous in calling for additional prison facilities to house violent offenders. In my policy budget, introduced earlier this year, I called for the addition of 10,000 new prison beds, as well as additional funding for the Adult Probation Commission and the Board of Pardons and Paroles for community-based corrections. The Legislature saw the need for emergency funding for these agencies and authorized additional funds in February. Several important bills, as part of an omnibus crime package, were passed during the regular session, which should go a long way to help our citizens feel safer on the streets. The most important element, however, is the expansion of TDCTs facilities so that offenders will serve their sentences behind bars instead of on the streets. For this reason, I am submitting to you today a more detailed plan for prison construction and financing. This plan will cure the projected shortfall of prison beds during the next four years. It has been reviewed with the Texas Department of Corrections and forwarded to Federal District Judge William Wayne Justice with assurances that it addressed the requirements of Ruiz. I encourage your review of this plan and hope that you will join in supporting me in my efforts to restore public confidence in our criminal justice system. Sincerely, William P. Clements, Jr. Governor
