The latest Texas Department Of Criminal Justice news from The Texas Tribune.
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
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The Texas Juvenile Justice Department is undergoing a review of all youths in its system to better assess security threats, but advocates worry it will become a tool to recommend more youths for imprisonment in adult facilities. Full Story
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Michael Morton’s 2011 exoneration brought to a crescendo calls for change in the way that prosecutors are regulated in Texas. Morton, prosecutors and criminal justice reform advocates talk about why prosecutorial errors happen and how they can be prevented. Full Story
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While advocates worry particularly about heat conditions in a prison unit with recent water shortages, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is considering arguments in a lawsuit against the Texas Department of Criminal Justice alleging that the sweltering living quarters constitute cruel and unusual punishment. Full Story
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At least 86 Texans' convictions were overturned between 1989 and 2011, according to the National Registry of Exonerations. The Texas Tribune analyzed court rulings, media reports and pardon statements to determine the cases in which courts ruled that prosecutorial error contributed to a wrongful conviction. Use our interactive to learn more about each case. Full Story
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As summer temperatures rise, so do worries about conditions in state prisons. The Texas Civil Rights Project on Tuesday filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Texas prison officials on behalf of the family of an inmate who died last summer. Full Story
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State officials are unsure how Monday's U.S. Supreme Court decision on mandatory life sentences for juveniles will affect the 27 people in Texas who were incarcerated for life without the possibility of parole before the age of 18. Full Story
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The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturned a death sentence for Manuel Velez, citing inaccurate testimony during Velez's sentencing. Full Story
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The Sunset Advisory Commission found that the Texas Department of Criminal Justice has room for improvement. The commission on Tuesday discussed accountability, budgetary efficiency, response to inmate grievances and communication. Full Story
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For years they’ve been the Butch and Sundance of Texas criminal justice policy. Republican state Rep. Jerry Madden and Democrat state Sen. John Whitmire have helped lead a sea change in the adult and juvenile prison systems. But the team is breaking up. Full Story
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Researchers at two law schools Monday released an unprecedented listing of all the exoneration cases from the last 23 years. Only two states had more exonerations than Texas, according to the report. Full Story
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An administrative judge has again denied Kerry Max Cook's request to move his case out of Smith County, a decision the former death row inmate worries will doom his fight to legally prove his innocence. Full Story
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With the state government tightening its belt, there are now 10,200 fewer state government employees, according to our latest analysis of data collected by the state auditor’s office. Full Story
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The latest installment in death row inmate Hank Skinner's quest for DNA testing comes today as his lawyers argue to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals that a change in state law should allow for testing in his case. Full Story
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UPDATED: Former Smith County District Attorney A.D. Clark III denies allegations by Kerry Max Cook's lawyers that Clark had kept the knife linked to Linda Jo Edwards' fatal stabbing at his home. Full Story