Texas prison agency names senior official as its next chief

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Bobby Lumpkin will be the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s next executive director, leading one of the largest state agencies that is also in the midst of a correctional staffing crisis.

Lumpkin, who is currently the agency’s chief operations officer, will assume the top role on Sept. 1, TDCJ’s governing board announced Tuesday. He replaces Executive Director Bryan Collier, who is set to retire on Aug. 31 after nine years on the job.

Lumpkin, who joined TDCJ in 1990 as a correctional officer, will soon head an agency that oversees over 100 prisons and around 140,000 inmates.

This work is taking place amid a statewide staffing shortage, including high vacancy and turnover rates that could pose risks to employees and inmates, according to a 2024 report from the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission. The state Legislature has recently approved funding for TDCJ that would go toward pay raises, targeted salary adjustments and other initiatives to address staffing.

He will also have to continue addressing the lack of air conditioning in prisons, which a federal judge has ruled earlier this year as unconstitutional and pushed for a trial. TDCJ is working on installing cool beds, but the majority of Texas prisons are still not fully air conditioned. The staffing shortage also contributes to the challenge.

A trial over the issue is currently scheduled to take place next year.

At the same time, Lumpkin will take the reins of an agency that is undergoing a shift in focus towards rehabilitation, as outlined in its “2030 Vision” plan.

Collier announced his intention to retire in June. He first joined the agency as a clerk in 1985 and rose through its ranks over four decades, before being named its leader in 2016. On Tuesday, the TDCJ’s governing board also named a new training facility in Huntsville after him.

As of July, Collier’s annual salary as executive director was nearly $300,000.

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