Behind the Walls is a detailed description of the world's largest
prison system by a long-time convict trained as an observer and
reporter. It spotlights the day-to-day workings of the Texas
Department of Criminal Justice—what's good, what's bad,
which programs work and which ones do not, and examines if
practice really follows official policy.
	
    Written to inform about the processes, services, activities,
issues, and problems of being incarcerated, this book is invaluable
to anyone who has a relative or friend incarcerated in Texas, or for
those who want to understand how prisoners live, eat, work, play,
and die in a contemporary U.S. prison. 

    Containing a short history of Texas prisons and advice on how
to help inmates get out and stay out of prison, this book is the only
one of its kind—written by a convict still incarcerated and
dedicated to dispelling the ignorance and fear that shroud Texas
prisons. Renaud discusses living quarters, food, and clothing, along
with how prisoners handle money, mail, visits, and phone calls. He
explores the issues of drugs, racism, gangs, and violence as well as
what an inmate can learn about his parole, custody levels, and how
to handle emergencies. What opportunities are available for
education? What is the official policy for discipline? What is a
lockdown? These questions and many others are answered in this
one-of-a-kind guide. 

_________________________________________________________

JORGE ANTONIO RENAUD was born in New Mexico and has
lived in Texas most of his life. A former copy editor for the
Austin-American Statesman and the Waco Tribune-Herald,
Renaud is a contributing columnist for Hispanic Link News
Service. His op/ed columns have appeared in newspapers across
the country. A former editor of the ECHO, the Texas Prison
newspaper, Renaud is serving time for armed robbery. He holds a
bachelor of science in psychology from Sam Houston State
University.



Number One: North Texas Crime and Criminal Justice Series 


What People Are Saying About This Book:

"Although Renaud is incarcerated, his writing is quite objective.
Because of this, the book could be useful to educators. One of the
major frustrations of criminologists is the lack of public knowledge
about important criminal justice issues."—Gail A. Caputo,
Department of Criminal Justice, University of North Texas


 "A practical guide for inmates' families, and presumably new
inmates, to understand the system—an audience in Texas that is
unfortunately quite large."—Dana M. Nurge, College of
Criminal Justice, Northeastern University