Dealing with the small stuff
We're proud of Harris County's growth, but we shouldn't be proud of our crowded jails. In Harris County, too many people are locked up for nonviolent crimes.
TCJE in the News
Press Contact: For all media inquiries, please contact Madison Kaigh, Communications Manager, at mkaigh@TexasCJE.orgor (512) 441-8123, ext. 108.
Whole Foods' decision to stop using prison labor is a step in the wrong direction
Fellow foodies, here’s a question for your conscience: Do you wonder whose hands helped bring your meal to the grocery?
Abbott Doles Out $133M for Law Enforcement, Crime Victims
Gov. Greg Abbott's criminal justice division is doling out $133 million in grants to local law enforcement agencies and victims' assistance programs across seven Texas regions, he announced Friday.
Lawmaker Mulling Hearing on Juvenile Justice
State Sen. John Whitmire might call a hearing and seek leadership changes at the Texas Juvenile Justice Department after multiple reports of youths fighting, climbing onto rooftops and running away from staff in large numbers at youth correctional facilities.
Texas Tribune event tackles future of criminal justice
In an effort to give people a perspective of what the future holds, the Texas Tribune is hosting a series of public events across the state that where lawmakers and analysts will cover eight major policy areas such as criminal justice, energy, the environment, health, higher and public education, immigration and transportation.
The Texas Criminal Justice Coalition Welcomes New Executive Director, Leah Pinney
Effective today, the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition (TCJC) announces Leah Pinney as Executive Director. The organization’s previous Executive Director, Dr. Ana Yáñez-Correa, will be leading the Criminal Justice program at the Washington, DC-based Public Welfare Foundation.
Jenkins, Neill: Harris County should stop jailing small-time drug offenders
Drug policy in the U.S. is changing. After more than 40 years of a War on Drugs that did little to curb supply or demand of illegal highs, jurisdictions across the nation are reconsidering their approach to drugs and drug users, with special emphasis on finding alternatives to incarceration.
New Report: Expanding Harris County’s Successful Drug Diversion Program Will Further Improve Public Safety Outcomes & Save Taxpayer Dollars
In October 2014, Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson partnered with local law enforcement to establish the First Chance Intervention Program, a rehabilitative diversion program for individuals with first-time, Class B misdemeanor marijuana possession offenses. Today, the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition (TCJC) and Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy released a report examining the First Chance Intervention Program and the potential societal, systemic, and financial benefits that would come with expanding the program to other offenses.
Expanding Harris County’s successful drug diversion program will further improve public safety outcomes and save taxpayer dollars
In October 2014, Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson partnered with local law enforcement to establish the First Chance Intervention Program, a rehabilitative diversion program for individuals with first-time, Class B misdemeanor marijuana possession offenses.
UT study finds longer incarceration for girls, but why remains unclear
When Erin Espinosa was a probation officer in Texas, she often found herself between a rock and a hard place when she had to decide whether to keep a girl detained after committing a crime or return her on probation to a troubled home.