In a state with the second-largest penal system in the nation — 108 adult correctional institutions, 37,365 employees, 146,107 incarcerated offenders and 238 offenders on death row — it’s only fitting there’s an institution where visitors can learn all about prisons, prisoners and corrections.
In Huntsville, home not only of the venerated Sam Houston but the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), some 34,000 visitors a year, of all ages, take that opportunity at the Texas Prison Museum.
The independently run, privately funded museum draws attention for sensational exhibits like Bonnie Parker’s pistol and the long-retired “Old Sparky” electric chair that handled hundreds of executions between 1924 and 1964. Exhibits trace the history of Texas prisons from the system’s inception in 1848 to the present, with features ranging from imaginatively contrived contraband weapons to the work of corrections officers to gang tattoos. But it also educates the public about such thought- provoking aspects as the final statements of those who’ve been executed.
Left From 1924 to 1964, 361 prisoners died by judicial electrocution in Texas — in an electric chair built by incarcerated craftsmen in 1924. Right Death penalty opposition exhibit.
Many noteworthy success stories of the correctional system are highlighted. Visitors learn, for instance, that 463,905 offenders are currently on parole or subject to community supervision, and the three-year recidivism rate for prison offenders is 21.4 percent. Gone are the days of chain gang work crews and extreme measures of punishment. Though the old ball-and-chain and primitive handcuffs are on display, there’s also a rich history of inmate rehabilitative programs going back well over a century:
• For over 100 years, prison agricultural operations have not only grown crops and raised livestock but have taught farm- ing and ranching skills to inmates.
• Since 1854, Texas prison programs have taught industrial and craft skills to inmates, who’ve created products including furniture and artistic pieces; these days numerous prison-made items can be purchased in the museum gift shop.
• The Texas Prison Rodeo involved inmates in bronco riding, bull riding, calf roping and other events from 1931 to 1986.
• The Windham School District, established in 1969, is now one of the largest correctional educational systems in the nation, serving more than 83,000 offenders each year. At the Ellis Unit, shelter dogs are taken in by inmates and trained and acclimated to be adopted as pets.
Left Pistol taken from the Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow “death car.” Right Makeshift weapons on display in the Prison Museum.
A particularly sobering memorial honors prison employees killed in the line of duty, individuals who willingly take on one of the most challenging jobs in the state work force.
There are some noteworthy alumni, grisly stories and dastardly deeds represented here. As in other museums, every visitor should have at least one “Wow!” moment, and the Texas Prison Museum offers many.
