Book Review: Renaud, J. A. (2002). Behind the Walls: A Guide for Family and Friends of Texas Prison Inmates. Denton, TX: University of North Texas Press. 218 pp

• Author: Lisa E. Brooks
• DOI: 10.1177/0734016807300509
• Published date: 01 June 2007
• Date: 01 June 2007
• Subject Matter: Articles

Book Reviews

Renaud, J. A. (2002). Behind the Walls: A Guide for Family and

Friends of Texas Prison Inmates. Denton, TX: University of

North Texas Press. 218 pp.

DOI: 10.1177/0734016807300509

Based on nearly 25 years of observation by journalist, editor, and Texas inmate Jorge

Antonio Renaud, Behind the Walls is an indispensable guide for those who find themselves

navigating the Texas prison system. In it, the author places Texas prison operations in his-

torical context, turns a critical eye on prison administration, gives a vivid account of daily

life in Texas prisons, and provides practical advice and resources for the friends and fami-

lies of inmates. The guide is divided into brief chapters, each one addressing an aspect of

prison life. As a reference tool, the guide is highly accessible, with each chapter thorough

enough to be useful on its own. When read cover to cover, it presents a fascinating and com-

prehensive view into one of the world’s largest prison systems.

The prologue to the guide, titled “A Short History of Texas Prisons,” reads instead like a

short history of court-ordered penal reform in Texas, leading up to and including the Ruiz v.

Estelle case that resulted in sweeping change and shaped the current Texas Department of

Criminal Justice (TDCJ). Renaud uses Ruiz as a reference point throughout the guide, con-

trasting prereform and postreform aspects of Texas prison policy, management, and culture;

but otherwise, the opening “short history” is less enlightening than the guide that follows. In

his prologue, Renaud portrays a system with a long history of corruption and abuse. Although

he does allow that Ruiz and other high-profile cases have brought about incremental improve-

ments to the system, by the end of this vitriolic introduction, the reader is braced for a 150-

page indictment of TDCJ. This is not, however, how the book proceeds. Renaud’s assessment

of TDCJ is laudably evenhanded. Even as he takes TDCJ administrators to task,he denounces

his fellow inmates for perpetuating a culture of violence and victimization inside the walls.

Likewise, rather than vilify the correction officers, he characterizes them as he does their

charges. There are both good and bad sorts, and among both correction officers and prisoners

there is a culture that causes men to behave with cruelty or indifference that is largely the

product of a dehumanizing and highly charged prison environment.

A central theme of the guide is that security is TDCJ’s first priority. By arguing that reha-

bilitation, education, health care, and the many other duties with which TDCJ is charged

are all secondary to the security of its units, Renaud establishes a framework for under-

standing the operations and priorities that drive institutional decisions and policy making.

He explains in the first chapter that the key to understanding TDCJ practices is to ask how

they enhance security. This is not to say that Renaud is an apologist or that he withholds

judgment. His discussions of the disciplinary system, medical care, drug use, and violence

are particularly critical. He blasts the administration for its denial of sexual assaults, noting

instances where his observations diverge from official statements and numbers published

by TDCJ. He is particularly disheartened by its toleration of “riding”—the practice of pay-

ing other inmates for protection with money or sex.

Although Renaud’s primary purpose is to educate and empower the friends and families

of prisoners, his descriptions of prison life are likely to be equally interesting to researchers,

policy makers, practitioners, and advocates. Through detailed descriptions of prison routines,

177

Criminal Justice Review

Volume 32 Number 2

June 2007 177-178

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