Close your eyes. Take a deep breath. Now I want you to imagine what a Texas prisoner looks like.

No matter how tolerant, educated, or open-minded you are, the person you pictured was likely the result of some biases you have.

I'm not judging- it's how our brains make sense of the world. And we see a lot of stereotypical prisoners on TV and in movies that shape our imagination.

canva
canva
loading...

Putting bias aside, was the person you pictured correct? Statistically speaking, that is.

By looking at the most recent statistical data from the Texas Department of Corrections, we can get a sense of who the most typical Texas prisoner is.

Texas prisoners are overwhelmingly male

If you pictured a man (and I bet you did), that tracks, as the ratio of men to women in Texas prisons is 13.5 to 1.

Texas prisons don't see color

Did you picture a white, black, or Hispanic guy? Well, any of those are appropriate, as it is strikingly equal in Texas prisons, with a very slight edge to Hispanics.
Read More: Texas Inmates That Spent Less Than A Year On Death Row

Seeing red

60% of prisoners in Texas are there for a violent offense, including assault, homicide, robbery, and sexual assault against a child as the top 4 respectively.

Middle-aged

While most prisons fall in the age range of 30-39, the average age is 41.3.

They are from Houston

Houston is an incredibly diverse city, so this doesn't help with what a Texas prisoner looks like, but there are far more Harris County people in Texas prisons than any other county in Texas.

Read More: 'Junk Science' Put Robert Roberson On Texas Death Row

It should be noted that Harris County encompasses all of Houston, whereas Austin and Fort Worth/ Dallas are divided up by several counties.

They've been (or will be) there a while

Most prisoners are serving a sentence of 11-20 years.

Conclusion

Did you imagine a violent, middle-aged man of an indeterminate race who's been in prison for a decade? Quite possibly, and if you did- ding ding! You were correct.

However, we all know that an average is just that- and that many people fall outside that stereotype.

There are people as young as 15 and as old as 92 in Texas prisons, men and women, of all ages who have committed a laundry list of different felonies.

What Is A Day Like In Texas Prisons? A View From Both Sides Of The Bars

Have you ever wondered what life inside a Texas prison is really like? I asked friends who are correction officers and folks who have volunteered at jails. I also asked former inmates, and browsed forums and articles with current and former inmates. Put all together, it paints what I hope is a fairly accurate picture of daily prison life in Texas.

Gallery Credit: Renee Raven

Texas Death Row: A Look At Notable Last Meals (And One Pile Of Dirt)

As of 2011, Texas no longer honors last-meal requests because of one very expensive and elaborate meal that went untouched. We take a look at that final meal, along with other notable ones, including the guy who requested a pile of dirt.

Gallery Credit: Renee Raven

Texas Death Row: A Look The Life & Crimes Of Every Inmate Executed In 2023

Here is a look at the eight men executed this year in Texas and the capital crimes they were convicted of committing.

Gallery Credit: Renee Raven

 

 

More From KLAQ El Paso