TCJC In the News

Press Contact: For all media inquiries, please contact Torrie Bethany, Communications Manager, at tbethany@texascjc.org or (512) 441-8123, Ext. 108.

 

2 Harris County judges responsible for 1 in 5 children sent to state juvenile prisons

October 20, 2018

Two Harris County judges accounted for more than one-fifth of all children sent to the state’s juvenile prisons last year, driving up the county’s Texas Juvenile Justice Department commitments even as those figures fall in the rest of the state.

Read the rest of this article at the Houston Chronicle. 

Marijuana diversion works, but it’s not enough [Opinion]

October 20, 2018

Two years ago, Kim Ogg was elected district attorney of Harris County. One of her campaign promises was to implement a diversion program for first time offenders charged with low-level marijuana possession. These are cases where a person gets arrested for “two ounces or less” of marijuana.

Read the rest of this op-ed at the Houston Chronicle. 

Texas Jail System ‘Defective’ Says Report

October 18, 2018

The flaws in the state's justice system cycle thousands of people through jails with little effort to address the roots of their behavior, says the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition. 

Read the rest of this post at The Crime Report.

A Failure in the Fourth Degree: Reforming the State Jail Felony System in Texas

October 16, 2018

The Texas Criminal Justice Coalition released the second report in its “One Size FAILS All” report series. The report, A Failure in the Fourth Degree: Reforming the State Jail Felony System in Texas, demonstrates through data and personal interviews with 140 incarcerated individuals the defective nature of Texas’ state jail system, and it puts forth actionable policy recommendations for consideration by the 2019 Texas Legislature.

Read the rest of this press release here.

Huntsville prisoner allegedly killed by guard was handcuffed during deadly use-of-force

October 11, 2018

The Texas prisoner allegedly killed by a guard earlier this year was handcuffed during the August use-of-force incident in a Huntsville prison that led to his death, state records show.

Read the rest of this article at the Houston Chronicle. 

More toothless Texas inmates to get dentures, not just pureed food

October 5, 2018

The Texas prison system is changing its denture policy — creating a dedicated denture clinic and hiring a prosthodontic specialist — in an effort to ensure that more inmates get teeth.

Read the rest of this article at the Houston Chronicle. 

Harris County jail launches suicide hotline for inmates

October 1, 2018

Still reeling from two recent inmate suicides, the Harris County jail on Monday launched a crisis hotline for prisoners, a novel approach to mental health that’s believed to be one of the first such efforts in the country.

Read the rest of this article at the Houston Chronicle. 

Texas Lawmakers Are Rethinking Criminal Justice In Light Of Swollen Prison Population

September 28, 2018

Republicans and Democrats alike are increasingly in favor of overhauling the criminal justice system. That’s partly because incarceration is expensive.

Read the rest of this article - and listen to an interivew with TCJC's Doug Smith - at the Texas Standard. 

Revenue from juvenile detention center shows growing trend for Victoria County

September 8, 2018

Victoria County is projected to almost double the revenue it brings in by housing youths from outside the county in its juvenile detention center, showing a shift in the economics behind the facility.

Read the rest of this article at the Victoria Advocate. 

A New Jail for Travis County?

September 7, 2018

Travis County moves forward with new women's building despite vote to delay and community outcry.

Read the rest of this article at the Austin Chronicle. 

New law protects Texans from being jailed for minor traffic tickets

September 7, 2018

New law designed to protect Texans from being jailed for minor traffic tickets has resulted in 300,000 fewer arrest warrants, announces Rep. Canales.

Read the rest of this article at FOX News South Texas. 

Federal judge rules Houston destroyed evidence in jail lawsuit

September 5, 2018

Houston city officials intentionally destroyed evidence, wiping crucial data from the computer drives of top police commanders that is potentially relevant to a lawsuit about the detention of suspects beyond the 48-hour deadline for a magistrate hearing, a federal judge has ruled.

Read the rest of this article at the Houston Chronicle. 

Reformers Hopeful the 2019 Legislature will Expand Texas’ Medical Marijuana Law

August 31, 2018

Activists are mapping a path to end arrests for possession and broaden the state's medical marijuana program ahead of the next legislative session.

Read the rest of this article at the Texas Observer.

Editorial: Is a felon fit for office? Austin voters deserve to decide

August 29, 2018

Two years ago, the Austin City Council decided that local employers should get to know job applicants first before deciding whether a criminal record puts them out of the running.

Read the rest of this article at the Austin American-Statesman.

Drill bit-planting claim sparks another investigation at Texas prison

August 29, 2018

An allegation that Texas corrections officers planted drill bits in an inmate's cell at a southeast Texas prison has sparked another investigation at the same Brazoria County lock-up where earlier this year four officers were indicted.

Read the rest of this article at the Houston Chronicle.

Texas prison system slashes price of inmate phone calls by 77 percent

August 26, 2018

The Texas prison system on Friday voted to drastically slash the cost of inmate calls home by more than 75 percent with a new phone contract more favorable to inmates and their families.

Read the rest of this article at the Houston Chronicle.

Texas criminal justice reforms offer lessons for Oklahoma

August 25, 2018

Lawmakers in Texas say their efforts to reduce prison sizes and costs offer lessons for Oklahoma, where corrections officials are seeking hundreds of millions of dollars to build new ones.

Read the rest of this article at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Inmate who killed herself in Harris County jail had previously threatened suicide

August 21, 2018

The woman who killed herself last week in the Harris County jail while locked up on a theft charge with $1,500 bail had threatened suicide at least once in the days before her death, according to sources familiar with the case.

Read the rest of this article at the Houston Chronicle. 

Probation Failing Young Offenders

August 17, 2018

The Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, a research and advocacy organization on CJ reform, has just issued a report on the use of probation for youthful offenders in Texas.

Read the rest of this article at The Austin Chronicle. 

Harris County inmate hangs herself, marking jail's 2nd apparent suicide in a month

August 15, 2018

A Harris County inmate jailed on a theft charge died after hanging herself in a common area of the jail late Tuesday, marking the facility's second suicide in less than a month.

Read the rest of this article at the Houston Chronicle. 

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