As number of imprisoned Texas women grows, lawmakers hope to add "dignity" to their time behind bars
Multiple bills filed this session aim to address deficiencies in women's prisons.
TCJC In the News
Press Contact: For all media inquiries, please contact Madison Kaigh, Communications Manager, at mkaigh@TexasCJC.org or (512) 441-8123, ext. 108.
Texas senator proposes moving all youth in state lockups to shuttered adult jail
After shrinking the population at state-run juvenile lockups, state Sen. John Whitmire wants to move the remaining youth at five facilities to one recently closed adult jail.
Texas Prison Reformers Demand Dignity for Incarcerated Women
Bills addressing the basic needs of incarcerated women bolster the larger call for reform in the state prison system this session.
Formerly incarcerated women demand fairness, dignified treatment for women in prison
On this International Women's Day, a group of women who've served time are demanding lawmakers pass a series of bills that would help meet the needs of the thousands of women who are locked up.
Texas Lawmakers Want Judges To Send Fewer Moms To Prison
When Mia Greer went to prison, she says she wasn’t the only one who was punished. Her kids suffered too.
Some Texas Lawmakers Want To Make Porch Package Theft A Felony
Stealing a package off someone’s front porch could soon become a much more serious crime. Three bills in the Texas Legislature are proposing to make it a felony.
Third Time’s The Charm? Marijuana Decriminalization Gets Another Chance in Texas
The first marijuana reform bill heard in committee this session would downgrade possession of an ounce to a civil offense and a fine up to $250.
Out of Sight, Out of Mind: The Growing Population of Incarcerated Women
Lauren Johnson discovered she was pregnant days before going to prison. For the following eight months, guards escorted her, shackled, to Brackenridge Hospital once a month for her doctors’ appointments until she gave birth.
Crimewatch: Working to stop sex trafficking
As festival season gets underway in Austin police are warning the public to be on the lookout for suspicious activity that could be linked to sex trafficking.
Shelter in San Antonio serves young sex trafficking victims
The underage victims of sex trafficking in San Antonio now have a new place to heal and overcome their trauma, thanks to a partnership between Roy Maas Youth Alternatives and a number of local donors.
The Revolving Door Between Homelessness and Prison
People experiencing homelessness are 11 times more likely to face incarceration compared to the general population, and formerly incarcerated individuals are nearly 10 times more likely to be homeless, a new study by the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition (TCJC) found.
DA to ask for more prosecutors again, citing large-scale case review sparked by botched drug raid
Once again, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg is asking for more prosecutors - this time to handle the extra case reviews stemming from the botched Pecan Park drug raid and its fallout.
New Report Explains the Link Between Homelessness and Justice System Involvement
The Texas Criminal Justice Coalition released the final report in its "One Size Fails All" report series. The report, Return to Nowhwere: The Revolving Door Between Incarceration and Homelessness, examines the undeniable link between homelessness and criminal justice system involvement, and the factors that contribute to both. It offers recommendations to end the chronic pattern that wastes lives and squanders resources that could be better used to address the factors leading to homelessness.
Film Detailing Austin Teacher's Violent Arrest To Be Screened
Oscar-nominated 2017 documentary 'Traffic Stop' tells harrowing story of schoolteacher Breaion King, thrown to the ground by officer.
The Race for San Antonio Mayor a Second Referendum
As a reader, I came to Senior Reporter Iris Dimmick’s Q&A with the nine candidates who want to be mayor of San Antonio with skepticism. Readers of the interviews published Saturday will recognize only a few of the candidates’ names, at best, so there was little reason to expect coherent responses or actionable ideas.
Bipartisan effort in Texas Legislature aims to make life easier for electricians, other workers who need state licenses
Bills may cut licensing costs for new parents, protect applicants' religious beliefs.
Built with rehabilitation in mind, Texas state jails are now viewed by lawmakers as a "complete failure"
State jails were created to help low-level drug offenders get treatment. But they offer few rehabilitative services, and their inmates are more likely to reoffend.
Harris County Leaders Vote Against District Attorney’s $20 Million Budget Request To Hire More Prosecutors
The Harris County Commissioners Court voted Tuesday against District Attorney Kim Ogg’s request for a $20 million budget increase to hire more prosecutors.
Harris County DA Says Her Request For More Prosecutors Has Been Politicized
Criminal Justice reform groups have criticized Kim Ogg’s request to hire 102 new lawyers. They argue more people will be jailed, but the DA says her office needs more staff to handle a backlog of cases.
Hammond: Criminal justice should deliver better results at lower cost
Texas spends more than $168 million each year locking people up for state jail felonies — in many cases for minor offenses — with a 62 percent re-arrest rate within three years.