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Jolie McCullough was a reporter at The Texas Tribune from 2015 to 2023. She began as a data visualization journalist and then reported on criminal justice policy, ranging from policing and courts to prisons and the death penalty. She joined the Tribune from the Albuquerque Journal, her hometown newspaper. She previously worked at the Arizona Republic and is a graduate of Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
“If this doesn’t push it, we don’t know what will,” says Debbie Bush. She has been fighting for greater accountability for police violence since her nephew was shot in the back by a San Antonio officer seven years ago. Full Story
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The U.S. Supreme Court has twice stopped Texas executions over claims that previous prison policies were discriminatory and violated religious freedoms. Full Story
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Senate Bill 21 would require cash bail for people who have ever been convicted of a violent crime. Full Story
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Riles has been deemed mentally incompetent for execution repeatedly in his decades on death row. Full Story
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Despite loud opposition from Democrats who said the legislation overstepped local governments, Senate Bill 23 passed with broad bipartisan support. Full Story
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The governor did not know the identities of those who alleged assault, nor did he provide many details. He said he was concerned more than one child may have been assaulted. Full Story
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Texas courts have long been criticized for keeping people in jail pending trial who can't afford to post bond. Two priority bills this session would change the bail system, but they're primarily aimed at keeping potentially dangerous defendants behind bars. Full Story
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Agency data shows officers are finding just as many drugs — and writing up even more prisoners for having them — despite the restrictions. Contraband is most often brought in by staff, according to prisoners and employees. Full Story
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A provision that would remove police officers' legal shield against civil lawsuits has been pegged by multiple lawmakers as a sticking point in the Republican-led Legislature. Full Story
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Almost a year after Michael Ramos, a Black and Hispanic man, was killed in Austin, Christopher Taylor, the officer who shot him, has been charged with murder. Full Story
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