Video Recorded Before COVID-19

Jennifer Brown is the warden at the Lockhart Correctional Facility in Lockhart, TX.

“We want to be transparent,” she says. “We want people to walk into our facilities and say ‘hey, can I try your food?’ ‘Absolutely, here’s your tray.’ Or, to walk into the dorm and to talk to our staff.”

The Lockhart Facility tries hard to be accessible to the community. The facility encourages Lockhart leaders and other locals to be involved in the rehabilitative work taking place at the facility.

Lockhart City Mayor Pro Tem Angie Gonzales was invited to be a speaker at a GED graduation, where she was able to connect with the incarcerated women.

“It was a beautiful experience,” reflected Ms. Gonzales, “for an individual like myself who really doesn’t know the ins and outs, or the situations that these women were put in. But just to hear their life story and what they went through and where they want to go, was just simply amazing.”

The Lockhart facility also strives to be a part of the community by providing service and participating in community organizations.

“I really think it’s very important to be a part of the chamber of commerce,” explains Warden Brown, “and the Lockhart Correctional Facility is a big part of that. We attend their meetings every month. They bring tours through our facility as well. Our offenders go into our community, and we may do some painting for them or do some cleanups. So, that relationship is very important. The more we pour into our communities, the more that they will pour into us, and into our female offenders.”