The latest Texas Department Of Criminal Justice news from The Texas Tribune.
As the state and Scott Panetti's defense team battled over whether his execution should be halted last week, a four-page affidavit provided a tantalizing peek into the mental health care Texas has provided for the schizophrenic death row inmate. Full Story
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The Texas prison system is making it easier for family members to visit loved ones behind bars, hoping to strengthen social networks inmates need when they are released. Full Story
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With the energy boom creating an explosion of high-wage job growth in oil-rich parts of the state, finding and keeping prison employees has become difficult in those regions. This story is part of our Shale Life project. Full Story
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The Texas Tribune's prison inmate database, containing more than 146,000 offenders, is now updated with the latest data available from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. It is now current as of September 2014. Full Story
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The justice track at the 2014 Texas Tribune Festival featured panel discussions on criminal justice reform, the Texas Supreme Court, same-sex marriage and the death penalty. Here's audio of each session. Full Story
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UPDATED: A 38-year-old Arlington woman was executed Wednesday for the starvation death of her girlfriend’s son. Lisa Ann Coleman is the sixth woman to be executed in the state since 1982. Full Story
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They served their country, then ended up on the wrong side of the law. But many of Texas' veterans serving time behind bars are getting the guidance to stay out of the legal system upon their release, thanks to a new Texas Department of Criminal Justice program. Full Story
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Gov. Rick Perry has issued at least 221 pardon proclamations since taking office in December 2000. We've made our existing searchable database easier to navigate by name, issuance year, crime type and/or pardon type. Full Story
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The family of the widow whose murder was the focus of the 2011 film "Bernie" objects to the court's decision to free the man who killed her, and wants the court to hear their case. Full Story
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A documentary and a book in the works will document Texas A&M University’s transformational decision to join the Southeastern Conference, so we start this week’s R&B-themed Playlist with James Brown’s “Get On the Good Foot.” Full Story
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A small fraction of the tens of thousands of inmates released in Texas each year find spots in state-contracted halfway houses. For many inmates, the private market is not an easy option either. Full Story
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A small but expensive and ever-growing group of Texas inmates requires dialysis. Fewer than 230 inmates who receive dialysis treatment account for about 3 percent of the entire prison system's pharmaceutical budget. Full Story
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While confiscations of illicit cellphones in prisons have dropped, a Tribune investigation found that few inmates or correctional officers face legal consequences for smuggling the devices. Full Story
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A panel of experts on Tuesday urged lawmakers to use more technology to improve community supervision of parolees, a change they argued would save money and reduce recidivism. Full Story
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Amid heated controversy over the placement of dangerous sex offenders, the presiding member of a board that oversees an agency that manages civilly committed violent sex offenders resigned on Tuesday. Full Story
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A new report by the University of Texas School of Law Human Rights Clinic claims that extreme conditions in Texas prisons violate the basic human rights of inmates. Full Story
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Lawmakers on Tuesday will examine ways to reduce recidivism among prisoners with mental illness and substance addiction. Full Story
The population in Texas prisons dropped from 2005 to 2013, but statistics from the corrections agency show that officers are using “major” force against inmates more often. Full Story
Gov. Rick Perry told federal officials he would not sign a form complying with regulations meant to prevent prison rape and assault. Prison reform advocates worry the decision could have financial and legal consequences. Full Story
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Lawmakers passed a bill that requires a study of solitary confinement in Texas prisons, but the panel charged with hiring a third party to conduct the research does not have money to fund the study. Full Story
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