The prison system in Texas is its own and unique beast. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice or TDCJ has many different units that house many different types of inmates. These units across Texas all sever different purposes to the state and the local communities in which the prisons are close to. There are however three things that make each prison unique from the other prisons, the inmates that they house, and the different industries ran by the each prison and the programs offered to offenders. I work at the H.H. Coffield Unit and I will take you on a tour of that prison and explain what it is that make Coffield unique. At the Coffield unit, we are what is known as a maximum security prison. In Texas, maximum security is defined as a prison that has at …show more content…
The best way to reintegrate offenders into society is to ensure that each offender has at minimum a high school GED, and a trade that he or she can use to become a functional member of society. At Coffield we offer a number of programs that will help offenders become better members of society after they are released from prison. The biggest program we have is the education department which contains class and testing for the GED program, trade schooling such as welding, horticulture, auto mechanics and college courses provided by Trinity Valley Community College. I have met several inmates that have decided to leave the gang life behind them and better themselves in order to make something out of their lives other than being a criminal the rest of their live and these men have earned a college degree. As a correctional officer, it is a good feeling to look back on an inmate’s life and for him to tell you where he went wrong and for him to take steps in his life to change his future so he isn’t just another