TCJE Blog

Texas Criminal Justice Coalition Joins the Discussion for Art in Justice Reform

The Houston Museum of African American Culture (HMAAC), the Texas Accountants and Lawyers for the Arts, and the California Lawyers for the Arts invited TCJC to participate in their Texas Art for Justice Forum on July 14 at the HMAAC. The forum was part of a series of events designed to discuss and expand the role that art programs and the arts community can play in addressing mass incarceration, especially in other high incarceration...

Bipartisan Support for Criminal Justice Reform Is Alive and Well

Over the past two weekends, the Texas GOP and Democratic Party held their respective, biennial platform conventions to determine the parties’ official policy positions for the next two years. The outcome of these conventions shows that in a time where bipartisan agreement is rare, reforming our criminal justice system remains an area of common ground for the people of Texas. I want to acknowledge Scott Henson of Grits for Breakfast, who promoted much-needed criminal...

Moving the Needle on Women’s Justice

When TCJC launched our Justice for Women campaign in March, we never expected this much momentum! In the past four months, we’ve accomplished a lot.

We released two full-length reports and a “quick guide” on the challenges facing women in Texas’ criminal justice system:

• A Growing Population: The Surge of Women into Texas’ Criminal Justice System: This report explores the concerning increase in the number of justice system-involved women in Texas, and it recommends programs...

Guest Blog: Tarra Simmons Is an Inspiration to Those in Need of a Second Chance

Last November, I flew to Washington state to support Tarra Simmons; a woman who, until then, I’d only known through Facebook and mutual friends. She and I have many things in common, not the least of which is having spent time in prison.

Tarra graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Dean’s Medal and received the coveted Skadden Fellowship, which is only rewarded to a handful of law students each year and provides recipients who plan...

TCJC Launches the “Justice for Women” Campaign

My mother is a survivor of domestic abuse and sexual assault. Her method of coping with the trauma she experienced was to never stop moving. Literally. When I was growing up, we moved over and over again—14 times during my high school years alone. If, instead, her method of coping had been to self-medicate with alcohol or drugs, there is no doubt in my mind that she would be in prison.

Very little separates my...

Long Overdue: Texas Should Prioritize Safer Schools Through Restorative Justice, Not Zero Tolerance

TCJC’s Jay Jenkins was recently quoted in an article by NBC News about Dennis Rivera Sarmiento, a high school student who was arrested in Houston and later placed in immigration detention. Allegedly, a female classmate called him a racial slur and threw a sports drink at him, resulting in an altercation between the two students. Dennis tried to report the incident to a Houston ISD police officer but, instead of receiving help, he was arrested...

Join Our Team!

Are you ready to help transform Texas’ youth and criminal justice systems?
Do you have first-hand experience that could inform our work and advance our mission? 
If so, the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition could be the place for you!

If you haven’t heard, we’ve opened our search for a Communications Manager!  We want to help change the narrative about what real public safety should mean for Texas: safely reducing incarceration through effective alternatives that produce...

Must Read: Bail System Promotes Profit, Not Justice

This is a MUST READ op-ed if you want to understand why bail reform is so important: Cash bail system promotes profit, not justice. Written by the folks at Right2Justice, this piece brilliantly summarizes what’s at stake in Houston’s bail process – your money for your liberty.  Those who make money off the system don’t want that to change.  But for those who can’t afford bail, regardless of guilt or innocence, losing their liberty...

Formerly Incarcerated Woman Speaks on Behalf of More Than 12,000 Incarcerated Women at the Austin Women’s March

Over the weekend, thousands of people took to the streets of Austin for the 2018 Women’s March. One of those marching was Lauren Johnson. Lauren is many things. Among them, she is a mother, an advocate, and a formerly incarcerated woman.

On very short notice, Lauren agreed to speak at the Austin Women’s March on behalf of the more than 12,000 women currently incarcerated in Texas. Because those women could not be there to march...

Abuse & Neglect of Kids Reported in a Texas Youth Facility: We Need Urgent Reform

Earlier this month, thanks to coverage from The Dallas Morning News and the Houston Chronicle, information came to light about the Gainesville State School, one of Texas’ five remaining state secure detention facilities for youth: Incarcerated kids had attempted suicide, and staff had been engaging in sexual misconduct with some youth. Then, on Friday, Dallas News exposed more information about issues at the Gainesville facility.

According to that article, Fights, Sex, Drugs: Texas Juvenile...