''Convict Cowboys: The Untold History of the Texas Prison Rodeo'' is a 2016 book about the
Texas Prison Rodeo The Texas Prison Rodeo was a rodeo and an annual celebration event for inmates in the Texas Prison System, held in a stadium in Huntsville, Texas.University of North Texas Press.
Roth described the rodeo's popularity as being a part of prison tourism.Worley, p. 81.
Background
Roth conducted interviews, and read archives as part of his research. Some of the archival material included written messages to and from Texas prison administrators
George Beto
George John Beto (January 19, 1916 – December 4, 1991) was a director of the Texas Department of Corrections (TDC), a criminal justice expert in penology, a professor, and a Lutheran minister. He was previously the president of Concordia Luthera ...
and Pete Coffield, some of which later went on display at the
Sam Houston State University
Sam Houston State University (SHSU or Sam) is a public university in Huntsville, Texas. It was founded in 1879 and is the third-oldest public college or university in Texas. It is one of the first normal schools west of the Mississippi River and ...
George Beto Collection. Robert M. Worley of Lamar University wrote that the correspondence was " e of the joys of reading" the book.
Reception
Worley wrote that ''Convict Cowboys'' is "one of the finest academic books I have read within the past several years, and I am delighted to recommend it to others."Worley, p. 88. Worley praised the even-handed treatment of the subject and "intriguing facts". He added that the book "is likely to resonate with scholars who are both critical and supportive of the mass incarceration movement."
Paul M. Lucko of
Murray State University
Murray State University (MSU) is a public university in Murray, Kentucky. In addition to the main campus in Calloway County in southwestern Kentucky, Murray State operates extended campuses offering upper level and graduate courses in Paducah, H ...
wrote that the book is "nicely written, thoroughly researched, sometimes humorous, and yet serious" and that it has an "entertaining narrative with a penetrating analysis". Lucko concluded that the book "impressively demonstrates" the event's importance in the history of Texas and "preserves" the "legacy" of the event.Lucko, p. 534.
See also
* ''
Houston Blue
''Houston Blue: The Story of the Houston Police Department'' is a 2012 non-fiction book by Mitchel P. Roth and Tom Kennedy, published by the University of North Texas Press, chronicling the history of the Houston Police Department, history of the ...