Gov. Rick Perry on Monday ordered a lockdown of all 111 of the state’s prisons while Texas Dept. of Criminal Justice officials search inmates for contraband.
The lockdown was prompted by reports that the mother of death row inmate Richard Tabler smuggled a cell phone to her son on the row, which he and eight other death row inmates (including known members of the Texas Syndicate, Aryan Brotherhood and Crips gangs) used to make some 2,800 calls in just 30 days – including several calls from Tabler to State Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston. During one call, Tabler allegedly told Whitmire that he knew the names of Whitmire’s daughters and where they lived. (Tabler then went on to ask Whitmire if he could help Tabler find a lawyer to appeal his case.)
Tabler’s mother, Lorraine Tabler, was arrested at ABIA yesterday afternoon and charged with providing contraband to an inmate. Lorraine allegedly purchased minutes for the phone, which was then smuggled into the unit with the help of a corrections officer who’d been bribed.
During a emergency meeting of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee today, Whitmire said he was “disgusted” with lax security measures and called a “zero tolerance” policy for contraband smuggling. “No Texan should have to experience what I have gone through in the last couple weeks,” he said. “No citizen should expect to receive a phone call from someone on death row, with the threats or the knowledge of his or her surroundings. It shall end today.”
You can hear Whitmire’s account of the calls and the rest of the committee hearing here.
This article appears in October 17 • 2008.