© 2026 Texas Public Radio
Real. Reliable. Texas Public Radio.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

The Source: Private Prison Boom Goes Bust In Rural Texas

Sean Hobson | The Texas Tribune
/
The Texas Tribune

Jobs are hard to come by in remote, rural Texas, so when large for-profit prisons came to town offering jobs and basically guaranteed revenue to public coffers, County Judges saw it as manna from Heaven.

But now, thirty years after the first private prison was built in the state, the boom has not only peaked, it is going flat in several counties across the state, leaving questions about financial liability. 

So what happened?

Guest:

  • John MacCormack, reporter for the San Antonio Express-News
Paul served at Texas Public Radio from 2011 to 2025, most recently leading the Accountability Desk.