Texas Tough facts for kids
Texas Tough: The Rise of America's Prison Empire is a book from 2010 by Robert Perkinson. It was published by Metropolitan Books. The book looks at the history of the justice system in Texas. It explains how this system developed after the American Civil War.
Robert Perkinson is a professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He explains that Texas's early prison system was mostly about punishment. He suggests it was used to control Black people after slavery ended. Perkinson saw this system as a way to continue controlling people.
The book talks about leaders of the Texas prison system, like O.B. Ellis and George Beto. It also covers an important court case called Ruiz v. Estelle. Perkinson argues that after the Civil Rights Movement, other parts of the United States started to use similar tough approaches to prisons. The book also criticizes how much the prison system has grown.
About the Book
The title of the book, Texas Tough, comes from a report by the Justice Policy Institute. This report was published in October 2000.
Robert Perkinson spent more than 10 years researching this book. He looked at many old documents and government records. He also talked to many different people.
How the Book Was Researched
Perkinson interviewed David Ruiz, who was part of the Ruiz v. Estelle court case. He also spoke with William Wayne Justice, who was a federal judge. The author talked to people who were in prison and those who used to be. He also interviewed prison guards, government officials, and people who wanted to change the system.
