Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is backing an effort to keep defendants with violent pasts behind bars. On Tuesday, Abbott appeared in Waco to ask state lawmakers to pass a new law that, among other things, would require judges to set bail based partly on whether the accused person is a threat to law enforcement.
A coalition of health and advocacy groups have jointly developed recommendations to address substance use disorder in Texas.
The Texas Criminal Justice coalition calls for reforms to community supervision that are “developmentally appropriate” to young people who age out of the juvenile justice system but are still too immature to understand the consequences of their behavior.
Coding bootcamps for prisoners have been around since 2014, but they used to be exclusively for men. Girl Develop It is one of the women-led programs tackling that problem.
The Texas Criminal Justice Coalition released its newest report today, which examines how Texas’ probation system continuously fails young adults. The report, Young Adults and Community Supervision: The Need for a Developmentally Appropriate Approach to Probation, reveals that traditional probation practices are ineffective with 17- to 25-year-olds on adult felony probation.
Since June, a working group has been meeting quietly to discuss what kind of public oversight is needed for the Austin Police Department.
The Texas Criminal Justice Coalition and the Texas Inmates Family Association said the recent felony charges and other ongoing problems highlight the need for independent investigations into one of the most opaque state agencies.
After several Texas prison employees were indicted earlier this month for allegedly conspiring to plant screwdrivers in an inmate’s cell, advocacy groups are calling for an outside entity to serve as a watchdog of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
State prison officials are in emergency-response mode this week as a heat wave bears down on a large swath of Texas, rivaling the system that triggered the deaths of 10 inmates from heat stroke in 2011.
As investigators build their case against the man they have accused of cutting off his ankle monitor and killing three people, top law officials say the tragedy raises questions about the oversight and tracking of parole violators in Houston.
By 2020, the only bachelor's degree programs available to incarcerated women in Texas will end. TCJC's Lindsey Linder shares the importance of adding more degree programs for women and examination of barriers to entry.
Lindsey Linder joins Bill Hammond of Texas Smart On Crime Coalition on an op-ed regardng the unjust pretrial practices of money bail bonds, their harm to the poor, and endangerment to public safety.
Public defender Amalia Beckner crowdfunds to purchase books for jailed clients. TCJC's Doug Smith shares his personal story to the power of books behind bars.
U.S. Reps. Karen Bass (D-CA) and Mia Love (R-UT) Urge All Women in Congress to Co-Sponsor their Forthcoming Bill During Women Unshackled: The Next Step
In Texas This Week, the topic of criminal justice reform took center stage for the Women Unshackled conference at the University of Texas.
Participants discuss Texas’ next step in “bipartisan” movement dealing with the over incarceration of women.
Crimes that land women in prison was the focus of a criminal justice reform discussion on the U-T campus.
Substance abuse, poverty, economic disadvantages, and mental health issues have contributed to a dramatic increase in the number of women incarcerated in Texas in the last three decades, community leaders, law enforcement officials and attorneys said Wednesday.
Join the Coalition for Public Safety and the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition for a forum to discuss the unique challenges facing women in the justice system as well as policy solutions to improve outcomes.
A Texas prison warden was demoted and transferred this month even as officials announced plans to boost officer training, review disciplinary policies and explicitly ban the sort of quota system that sparked a statewide audit.