Texas Inmates Donate Nearly $54,000 for Hurricane Harvey Relief

Thousands of inmates in Texas prisons donated the funds saved in their commissary accounts to aid efforts in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, according to the New York Times. In total, 6,663 inmates donated $53,863 to the American Red Cross after the hurricane caused devastating flooding throughout the state in August, according to figures compiled by the Criminal Justice Department. “There wasn’t a person within the prison system who didn’t know a hurricane was going on,” Jason Clark, a spokesperson for the Criminal Justice Department, told the New York Times. “Texans are generous people,” he said. Many inmates tend to have less than $5 in their accounts, but some inmates who had saved up more gave hundreds of dollars to recovery efforts, Clark said.