AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Baptists hope to open the nation’s first hospitality house for crime victims next year.
The new facility would offer a protected environment for victims who come to witness the executions of convicted attackers.
The facility is planned for Huntsville, site of the Texas State Penitentiary, which executes more criminals than any other facility in the country.
The Baptist General Convention of Texas is planning the project in partnership with Texas Department of Criminal Justice Victim Services. The convention already operates a hospitality house in Huntsville for criminals’ families.
Jim Young, director of the convention’s Center for Community Ministries, said victims would be able to stay at the home free of charge and would be protected from the media. Trained counselors would be available to minister to the visitors. A memorial for victims also is planned, which perhaps would be a prayer garden.
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