Texas Prison Inmates Donate Over $53K To Hurricane Harvey Relief

HOUSTON, TX — There probably won't be scenes from any future prison movies that depict recent actions from more than 6,600 inmates in the Texas prison system. According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Texas inmates collectively raised $53,863 to help victims of Hurricane Harvey, a powerful Category 4 storm that destroyed much of the Texas coastline for a week in late August.

TDCJ spokesman Jason Clark said the inmates weren't pressured or asked to donate but rather asked how they could help. "It's just something they chose to do," Clark said.

The sum may pale in comparison to millions and tens of millions contributed by celebrities, and the $53,863 isn't really a drop in the bucket in the hundreds of billions in estimated damages. But for the prisoners, a few bucks here and there from their commissary accounts slice into any comforts they may seek — things like paper and pencils, personal hygiene items and food that isn't available in chow halls. Clark said donations averaged $8 each.

Watch: Texas Prison Inmates Donate Over $53K To Hurricane Harvey Relief

Clark said inmates can contribute as little as $1 to the Red Cross fund or as high of an amount they'd like. The donations don't count toward the inmates' spending limit of $95 every two weeks. Clark said some of the inmates have hundreds of dollars saved up in reserves in their accounts.

The inmates asked to contribute because several prisoners and their families were impacted in the expansive Texas prison system and many prison employees lost their homes as well. The storm also caused evacuations of about 7,000 from five prisons, three treatment centers and two halfway houses.

"They were requesting to donate money," Clark said.

This isn't unprecedented, Clark said. The spokesman said the inmates donated in 2005 to victims of Hurricane Katrina, which hit Louisiana and Mississippi, and again when Hurricane Rita slammed the Texas coast.

Photo by Ian Waldie/Getty Images