Is the sky falling? Is hell freezing over? Is Texas messin’ with us?

Like so many other states, Texas has been suffering a budget crisis for some time. And of course since everything is bigger in Texas, the budget gap is in excess of $18 billion. A big part of the problem is the more than $3 billion the state spends each year on corrections. The state has the fifth largest per capita prison population in the nation, with one in every 71 adults behind bars.

But now, folks in Texas—a state that officials say has never closed an entire adult prison—are ready for a discussion about doing just that. And bringing down costs big time.

Officials are beginning to say that Texas could soon be in a position like no other state—a good one.

But it sure makes the mind boggle.