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.

 

Immigrants' rights groups call on federal government to speed up family reunification process after touring Freeman Coliseum

Immigrants' rights groups call on federal government to speed up family reunification process after touring Freeman Coliseum

April 11, 2021

A coalition of immigrants’ rights groups are urging the federal government to speed up the family reunification process, following a tour of the Freeman Coliseum, which currently houses more than 1,800 unaccompanied migrant children. The tour comes after Gov. Greg Abbott held a press conference Wednesday, calling for the facility to shut down operations, alleging instances of sexual abuse taking place, staffing issues and coronavirus safety concerns.

Read the rest of this article from KENS5.

Immigrant rights groups call for transparency after touring emergency migrant youth shelter

Immigrant rights groups call for transparency after touring emergency migrant youth shelter

April 11, 2021

Only one child in federal custody at the Freeman Coliseum has been reunited with his family. The vast majority of the 1,898 children ages 13-17 who remain at the facility have been there long past the five- to seven-day timeline that immigrant rights groups were told to expect before authorities reunited the children with their families.

Read the rest of this article from the San Antonio Report.

Southtown gallery Presa House engages Bexar County DA, Planned Parenthood for upcoming events

Southtown gallery Presa House engages Bexar County DA, Planned Parenthood for upcoming events

April 10, 2021

Southtown gallery Presa House will host two events this month that engage a broader cross-section of the city than the typical art world crowd. The first takes place Sunday, April 11, and is the latest in a monthly documentary screening program conducted in partnership with the PBS Indie Lens Pop-Up Virtual series.

Read the rest of this article from the San Antonio Report.

Texas prisons stopped in-person visits and limited mail. Drugs got in anyway.

Texas prisons stopped in-person visits and limited mail. Drugs got in anyway.

March 29, 2021

Last year, the Texas prison system unwittingly started a controlled experiment. Agency leaders have long blamed prisoners’ friends and families for a constant flow of drugs they say are often smuggled in through visits and greeting cards. To combat this, prison officials in early March set up new rules curtailing prisoner mail. Two weeks later, they shut down visitation to fight the spread of the coronavirus.

Read the rest of this article from the Texas Tribune and the Marshall Project.

Houston’s Drug Busts Have a Clear Target: People of Color

Houston’s Drug Busts Have a Clear Target: People of Color

March 26, 2021

On Feb. 8, the Houston Police Department (HPD) arrested a homeless man, 57-year-old Israel Iglesias, for allegedly handing an undercover cop 0.6 grams of methamphetamine. Iglesias died the next day in the county jail. Results of his autopsy remain pending. Iglesias’s death has raised obvious questions about what priorities the police  and the Harris County prosecutor’s office have when it comes to solving or preventing crimes: Why, critics have asked, did police find it necessary to execute an undercover drug sting in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic?

Read the rest of this article from The Appeal.

Texas police reform bill named for George Floyd gets its first political test

Texas police reform bill named for George Floyd gets its first political test

March 25, 2021

George Floyd’s loved ones appeared before a state House committee Thursday to support a sweeping police reform bill named for the former Houston resident, who was killed last May when a Minneapolis police officer pinned him to the ground with a knee to the neck for almost nine minutes.

Read the rest of this article from the Houston Chronicle.

Rally in support of Texas version of 'George Floyd Act' set for Thursday

Rally in support of Texas version of 'George Floyd Act' set for Thursday

March 24, 2021

Social justice activists from around the state are planning to gather at the Texas Capitol building Thursday to urge state legislators to pass police reform bills introduced in the wake of the officer-involved killing of George Floyd. One of the bills, named the George Floyd Act, would ban police choke holds, require deadly force to end "the moment the imminent threat" ends, and limit the use of qualified immunity in police brutality lawsuits, among other measures. 

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

‘Music is a tool for joy’: Lia Pikus receives Watson Fellowship to study music and prison abolition

‘Music is a tool for joy’: Lia Pikus receives Watson Fellowship to study music and prison abolition

March 23, 2021

Lia Pikus is no stranger to the intersection of seemingly unrelated passions. As a recipient of the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, a grant that allows graduating seniors to pursue an independent study project outside of the United States, she is bringing together two passions of hers — music and prison abolitionism — for her project “Beyond the Bars: Music’s Role in Reimagining Punishment.” At some point in the near future, she will be setting off to observe inner-carceral music programming first hand and experience musical community on a global scale.

Read the rest of this article from the Rice...

Will Dallas ISD be a national ‘game-changer’ by banning school suspensions?

Will Dallas ISD be a national ‘game-changer’ by banning school suspensions?

March 23, 2021

Dallas ISD must stop using school suspensions as the district works to redress racial disparities, a group of local and statewide education advocates demanded Tuesday. Doing so would help keep children on track and position DISD as a national “game-changer” in taking meaningful steps toward policies that underscore the Black Lives Matter movement, advocates said.

Read the rest of this article from the Dallas Morning News.

One Year After First Taking Action on COVID-19, Texas Criminal Justice Reform Advocates Decry Continuing Dangers for Incarcerated People

One Year After First Taking Action on COVID-19, Texas Criminal Justice Reform Advocates Decry Continuing Dangers for Incarcerated People

March 16, 2021

Exactly one year after the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition (TCJC) first asked Governor Greg Abbott to protect incarcerated people and their communities from the urgent threat of COVID-19, the organization is remembering the lives lost to the virus and continuing to push for action. On March 16, 2020, TCJC and a large group of advocates and system-impacted people published a letter to Governor Abbott and the state’s criminal justice agencies with clear directives to mitigate the potential disaster of a deadly and fast-spreading virus in youth and adult corrections facilities. 

Read the rest of this press release here.

Texas Lifts Ban On Prison Visits After 1 Year

Texas Lifts Ban On Prison Visits After 1 Year

March 12, 2021

Starting Monday, Texas prisoners will be able to see their loved ones in person again with some restrictions. It's been one year since Texas banned prison visits due to the pandemic. Here & Now's Tonya Mosley speaks with Kirsten Ricketts, who hasn't seen her husband Jeremy Ricketts since March 13, 2020. She's on the steering committee for the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition's Statewide Leadership Council.

Read the rest of this article from Here & Now.

Our view: Texas prisons take right step with in-person visits

Our view: Texas prisons take right step with in-person visits

March 11, 2021

For the first time in a year, Texas inmates will be allowed in-person visits, another sign that the state is working to return to some semblance of normalcy following the disruptions of COVID-19. The policy takes effect Monday (March 15), according to a recent story from the Texas Tribune.

Read the rest of this article from the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.

During the Pandemic, Houston Cops Went Undercover and Arrested a Homeless Man Over 0.6 Grams of Meth

During the Pandemic, Houston Cops Went Undercover and Arrested a Homeless Man Over 0.6 Grams of Meth

March 9, 2021

Last year, according to documents obtained by The Appeal, the Houston Police Department received a tip that drugs were being traded in an encampment for unhoused people at the 700 block of Booth Street, near Moody Park. On Oct. 20, as COVID-19 cases were just beginning to surge around the nation to previously unseen levels, at least two officers took an undercover stroll through the encampment.

Read the rest of this article from The Appeal.

Texas lifts yearlong ban on prison visitation beginning March 15

Texas lifts yearlong ban on prison visitation beginning March 15

March 9, 2021

Starting Monday, Texas inmates will be able to resume in-person visits with family and friends for the first time since the governor declared a public health disaster a year ago, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. In the last year, Texas prisoners have struggled through the pandemic, getting sick by the hundreds and seen fellow inmates and prison staff die from COVID-19 — all without being able to see their loved ones.

Read the rest of this article from the Texas Tribune.

On International Women’s Day, Texas Women’s Justice Coalition Continues Fight for Better Outcomes for Women Impacted by the Justice System

On International Women’s Day, Texas Women’s Justice Coalition Continues Fight for Better Outcomes for Women Impacted by the Justice System

March 8, 2021

For the fourth consecutive year, the Texas Women’s Justice Coalition is taking action on International Women’s Day to keep women out of the justice system and improve outcomes for those who have been impacted by arrest and incarceration. The Texas Women’s Justice Coalition is comprised of more than 70 formerly incarcerated women, advocates, and service providers seeking to stem the tide of women’s incarceration, improve their conditions of confinement, and help women successfully return to their families and communities.

Read the rest of this press release here.

“Extreme and Detrimental”—Texas Prisons’ Crackdown on Greeting Cards

“Extreme and Detrimental”—Texas Prisons’ Crackdown on Greeting Cards

March 8, 2021

When LaToyia Walker was sent to Texas Lockhart Correctional Facility in 2017, her grandmother would scribble short notes on pre-written greeting cards before mailing them to the prison. Writing letters had become challenging after her grandmother suffered a stroke in 2012, and the greeting cards were a critical way of maintaining contact.

Read the rest of this article from Filter Mag.

Advocates Call for Emergency Planning in Texas Prisons Following Horrific Week

Statewide Leadership Council: Advocates Call for Emergency Planning in Texas Prisons Following Horrific Week [Press Release]

February 25, 2021

After historic winter weather caused a statewide emergency and devastated power and water supplies throughout Texas, families of incarcerated individuals from across the state are demanding better emergency preparedness for Texas prisons. The horrifying conditions experienced by incarcerated individuals and prison staff during the winter storm revealed a lack of preparation by prison officials to address even the most basic needs.

Read the rest of this press release here.

In Texas Prisons, Horror Stories Emerge From Catastrophic Blackout

In Texas Prisons, Horror Stories Emerge From Catastrophic Blackout

February 23, 2021

As a winter storm battered Texas, 4.5 million people lost power. A humanitarian crisis mounted across the state, as residents lost heat and running water while food stocks dwindled. Dozens have died since February 11, likely from hypothermia. People without basic services sought sanctuary with friends, received assistance from mutual aid groups or, in the case of Senator Ted Cruz, fled to the warmer pastures of a balmy beachside resort in Cancún.

Read the rest of this article from Filter Mag.

The limits of bootstrapping in Texas

The limits of bootstrapping in Texas

February 19, 2021

Who is at fault for the misery in Texas, and who should take responsibility for its alleviation? This is the debate as extreme winter weather and infrastructure failures in the state have left at least two dozen people dead and millions without heat, water, and/or power. And it's not an unreasonable debate to have, with one glaring exception: lock-up.

Read the rest of this article from The Week.

Letter to Texas Board of Criminal Justice Chairman: Inspect 2 Protect “Creates a Barrier to Vital Support Networks”

Letter to Texas Board of Criminal Justice Chairman: Inspect 2 Protect “Creates a Barrier to Vital Support Networks”

February 15, 2021

Today, a group of advocates, organizations, and system-impacted individuals released a letter sent to Texas Board of Criminal Justice Chairman Patrick O’Daniel, which highlights the negative impacts of the “Inspect 2 Protect” policy enacted at Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) facilities last year. The letter—which received 29 signatures from local, state, and national groups—reiterates previous advocate requests for the policy to be reconsidered. 

Read the rest of this press release here.

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