When George W. Bush was governor, a federal judge ruled that the state's entire penal system was pervaded by a "culture of sadistic and malicious violence." Texas prison guards regularly rely on excessive force, the judge concluded, officials ignore sexual enslavement, and the state's isolation units function as "virtual incubators of psychoses."
一些最为严重的虐待行为在德克萨斯被曝光。这里是美国的死刑之都，关押的犯人总数超过了德国、法国、比利时和荷兰犯人总和。在布什任州长期间，一位联邦法官就裁定该州的整个刑事体系充斥着"施虐文化和恶意的暴力"。该法官总结说德克萨斯的狱警经常依赖于过渡的暴力，官员对性奴役置若罔闻，且该州的隔离单位功能（isolation units function）成为"心理变态的有效孵化器"。