Youth Justice
A state-by-state look at juvenile life without parole
States are responding to U.S. Supreme Court rulings that have found mandatory life-without-parole sentences unconstitutional for juveniles except for the rare homicide offender incapable of rehabilitation.
12 Texas inmates are serving banned juvenile life sentence
In early 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court told states to retroactively apply its 2012 ruling that banned mandatory life without parole for juveniles convicted of homicide. While many states have Read more »
Raise the age from 17 in criminal cases
During the past 10 years, Texas has made incredible progress both in reducing the number of individuals incarcerated and in creating alternative programs for low-risk offenders.
With crime, incarceration rates falling, Texas closes record number of prisons
Texas will shutter more prisons this year than it has in any single year in history, a response to the state's tight budget and shrinking inmate population. In the Read more »
Unsupervised boys at Dallas County juvenile detention center engaged in sex acts
Boys locked up for sex offenses were left unsupervised at a Dallas County juvenile detention center long enough to engage in sexual acts with each other on at least Read more »
Fact Sheet: Raise the Age & Juvenile Probation
April 2017
Will Texas 'Raise The Age' Of Criminal Responsibility?
The cutoff for criminal responsibility in Texas was increased to age 17 in the year 1918. Before that, 9-year-olds could be prosecuted as adults.
After Raise the Age Bill Passes House, Texas Closer to Considering 17-Year-Olds Juveniles
On Thursday, though, the Legislature got a step closer to passing legislation that would raise the age to 18 after the House passed House Bill 122 with an 82-62 vote, Read more »
Survey Shows Texas Voters in Favor of Criminal Justice Reform Policies
A broad group of smart-on-crime organizations in Texas announced the release of new Texas Voters Survey polling data showing strong Texas voter support for alternatives to incarceration, as well as Read more »
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