The latest Texas Department Of Criminal Justice news from The Texas Tribune.
Texas prisons are running low on hygiene products that are not considered necessities for inmates, including toothpaste and deodorant. Family members and inmates are frustrated as state officials try to find a contractor. Full Story
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The Texas Association of Business, the state's largest business lobby, is adding criminal justice reform to its agenda for the first time. The association says reducing the prison population and increasing the workforce makes business sense. Full Story
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Civil rights, human rights and criminal justice groups on Thursday sent a letter to lawmakers urging them to close a privately run state jail in downtown Dallas. Full Story
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As lawmakers try to trim the budget for health care for prison inmates, one bill aims to cut costs by re-examining a program that releases inmates deemed the oldest, sickest and most expensive. Full Story
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Kerry Max Cook, who spent two decades on death row for a 1977 murder, says the prosecutor in Smith County is fighting dirty in his mission to stymie the ex-inmate's efforts to prove his innocence. Full Story
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A new report by the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition says that rather than throwing drug addicts in jail, the state should invest more money in substance abuse treatment, which it says could save millions of dollars and improve public safety. Full Story
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State Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, and a union that represents prison employees hope to make more history in 2013, suggesting the potential closure of two privately run prison facilities in Dallas and in Mineral Wells. Full Story
A new report recommends reforming the state-run jail system by mandating probation for certain types of nonviolent felony offenders and only using the jails for those who violate their probation. Full Story
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Prison employee union leaders are pressuring the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and the Legislature to provide better pay, arguing that understaffing is particularly dangerous during the holidays. Full Story
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The execution of Donnie Lee Roberts Jr., 41, on Wednesday for the 2003 shooting death of a Polk County woman marked the 250th execution during Gov. Rick Perry’s tenure, and the 12th in 2012. The total is the largest — by far — under any recent governor in the United States. Full Story
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When lawmakers decided to charge inmates $100 a year for medical treatments, they expected it to help plug holes in the prison budget. But critics of the new policy say the result is less health care for sick inmates. Full Story
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Jewish prison inmate Max Moussazadeh is demanding that the Texas Department of Criminal Justice serve him kosher food. On Monday, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals will hear his case. Full Story
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We're liveblogging this weekend from The Texas Tribune Festival's Law & Order track, which includes panels on exonerated inmates, forensic science, prosecutorial misconduct and the future of juvenile justice. Full Story
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The cost to treat Texas inmates with hepatitis C is expected to soar by as much as 380 percent next year. Legislators, already facing a strained budget, will have to find millions more dollars to pay for this care. Full Story
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As solitary confinement grows in the national spotlight, Texas lawmakers and advocates are concerned about the re-entry of prisoners held for years without much human contact. For many, it's a matter of public safety. Full Story
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During the 1990s, many Texans believed prison construction would help boost the economies in rural areas. Today, ongoing staffing shortages in rural units are causing legislators and other officials to reconsider that assumption. Full Story
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A coalition of influential Texas organizations is pushing back against the proposed privatization of a state psychiatric hospital by GEO Care, a subsidiary of a prison operations group that has a troubled history in Texas. Full Story
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With Tuesday night's execution of Marvin Wilson, Gov. Rick Perry has now overseen 245 executions. Use this updated interactive to learn more about the prisoners who have been executed since Perry became governor. Full Story
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A program started in Hawaii that closely oversees criminal offenders' probation periods is starting a test run in Texas. The experiment, which is getting federal funds, will help determine how the program translates to the mainland. Full Story
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In the case of a 64-year-old former Texas inmate with high blood pressure and other health conditions, a federal appeals court ruled that extreme temperatures can violate prisoners' constitutional rights. Full Story