Forensic video analysis goes under the microscope in Texas
A Texas case shows that as cameras become more omnipresent, disputes over how such recordings are handled and analyzed are more likely to arise. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/12/14/SecurityCamera.jpg)
-
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Jonathan McIntosh / flickr -
New program moves women from prison to life
Before they can earn their freedom, about 40 Texas prisoners will be the first to complete a six-month program that focuses on decision-making and life skills. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/12/08/Marlin_Unit_13TT.jpg)
![The Texas Department of Criminal Justice recently launched a 6-month program that helps women at the Marlin Transfer Facility with treatment and life skills training right before they go back into society. During a recent class, Irvanette Lofton teaches inmates about budgeting and finding a job.]()
Credit: Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune -
"San Antonio Four" declared innocent, exonerated
The four women were sent to prison in the late 1990s on charges of sexually assaulting two young girls. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/TxTrib-SanAntonioFour061.jpg)
![Cassandra Rivera is one of four San Antonio women convicted of sexual assault of a child in the late 1990's. She was exonerated in late 2016 after defense lawyers proved her innocence.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa -
At "Day with Dad" prison event, leaping hugs and difficult discussions
Dads in a maximum-security lockup in Brazoria County hold on to hope by holding on to their kids. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/11/10/TXTDadDayFaves-Richmond003.jpg)
![John Green reunites with his son in the middle of the Darrington Unit gym at the start of the Day with Dad program, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016. Children and the 29 participating inmates ran into each other's arms to kick off the day of activities.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
Republicans sweep Texas Supreme Court, Court of Criminal Appeals races
Republicans running in three Texas Supreme Court races and three Texas Court of Criminal Appeals races enjoyed strong victories on Tuesday. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/09/14/CourtRoom-Scales.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
-
Sandra Bland's Family Looks Forward from Lawsuit Settlement
With one major legal battle seemingly behind them, Sandra Bland's survivors and advocates are gearing up for the next phase of their quest to wrest change from the 28-year-old black woman's death. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/07/16/CKCoKC5WEAATZ1S.jpg_large.jpg)
![Sandra Bland, who was found dead at the Waller County Jail in 2015.]()
-
Sandra Bland's Family Settles Wrongful Death Lawsuit, Lawyer Says
The family of Sandra Bland — the woman who died last year in a Waller County Jail cell — has reached a settlement with Texas officials in a wrongful death lawsuit, a lawyer for the family said Thursday. Full Story
![Sandra Bland, who was found dead at the Waller County Jail in 2015.]()
-
Texas Department of Criminal Justice to Request Budget Cut Exemptions
On Thursday, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice presented a legislative appropriations request to its governing board that offered $28 million in cuts. Officials added that they would seek an exemption from further cuts. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Jail-Prison-Bars-1.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Rob Crow -
Prison Guard's Convicted Killer Wins Another Execution Stay
Robert Lynn Pruett, convicted in the 1999 stabbing death of a state correctional officer, has won another stay of execution from a Court of Criminal Appeals judge. His lethal injection was set for August 23. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/04/18/TxTrib-Pruett-012.JPG)
![Robert Pruett, seen here in a 2013 interview, was sentenced to death in 2002 for the murder of correctional officer Daniel Nagle.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa -
Report Finds Almost 7,000 In-Custody Deaths in Texas
Almost 7,000 individuals in Texas have died in police custody or behind bars over the past 10 years, according to an online report released Wednesday by a University of Texas at Austin research institute. Nearly 2,000 of them had not been convicted of a crime. Full Story
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Rob Crow -
Investigators Identify Inmate Suspected in Prison Guard's Death
Inmate Dillion Gage Compton, 21, who worked in the prison's kitchen area, attacked and killed correctional officer Mari Johnson, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice alleged in a statement Monday. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/07/18/TDCJ_inmate-Compton_officer-Johnson.jpg)
![Dillion Gage Compton allegedly attacked and killed Correctional Officer Mari Johnson on Saturday, July 16th, 2016, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.]()
-
Greg Abbott: Targeted Killing of Police Officers Should Be a Hate Crime in Texas
Gov. Greg Abbott's proposal comes after weeks of targeted killings of police officers and growing tension over disproportionate encounters between black Americans and law enforcement. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/03/09/7C2A3553.jpg)
![Gov. Greg Abbott accepts Site Selection's 2015 Governor's Cup Award on behalf of the state of Texas on March 9, 2016.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Execution Delayed After State Didn't Retest Lethal Drugs
A Texas execution set for next week has been delayed indefinitely because the state wasn't able to retest the purity of the lethal drugs in time. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/07/07/TDCJ-inmates.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
-
Paxton Drops Challenge as Exxon Mobil Probe Shifts
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and his Alabama counterpart have dropped their legal bid to squelch a U.S. Virgin Islands investigation of Exxon Mobil after the U.S. territory agreed to with draw a subpoena for company documents. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/05/25/7C2A2588.jpg)
![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton during a May 25, 2016, press conference.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Feds to Fund College Courses for Thousands of Texas Inmates
More than 2,500 Texas inmates will participate in a national experiment starting next month so that the federal government can study whether reinstating Pell Grants for prisoners might boost their chances of finding employment. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/12/10/EDIT_12-4-15-JodyAddy_10293.jpg)
![Windham School District teacher Jody Addy teaches a class at the Robertson Unit in Abilene, Texas on Dec. 4, 2015. Addy has taught correctional education for 20 years and recently received the 2015 Lane Murray Excellence in Teaching award.]()
Credit: Cooper Neill for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Board of Criminal Justice Selects New Prisons Chief
Second-in-command Bryan Collier will be the next executive director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, the agency's governing board announced Friday. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/06/24/bryan_collier_prisons.jpg)
![Bryan Collier will be executive director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, starting Aug. 1, 2016.]()
-
10 Candidates Vying to Be Next Texas Prisons Chief
The next executive director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice will lead nearly 40,000 employees, manage a $3 billion annual budget, direct more than 100 prisons and oversee the nation's busiest execution chamber. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/02/18/Unsafe_Prisons__JW035.jpg)
![Texas Department of Criminal Justice William G. McConnell Unit at Chase Field in Beeville in 2013.]()
Credit: Jennifer Whitney -
Appeals Court Changes Texas Death Row Inmate's Sentence to Life
A man who sexually assaulted and fatally stabbed a 68-year-old woman during a 1995 burglary in Hidalgo County will no longer face execution after he has been determined to be intellectually disabled. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/06/15/Jose-Martinez-mug.jpg)
![Jose Noey Martinez]()
-
Advocates Push For Early Release of Severely Ill Sex Offenders
A prisoner rights advocate thinks lawmakers should loosen restrictions on medical parole eligibility for sex offenders. A top state lawmaker on criminal justice issues agrees with her but says the issue is just too politically toxic. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/20100526-DSC_6152.jpg)
![An inmate sleeps in his cubicle in the geriatric unit of the Estelle Prison in Huntsville.]()
Credit: Caleb Bryant Miller for The Texas Tribune -
A Peek at a Forgotten Age of Prison Radio in Texas
As the Great Depression was winding down, a variety show broadcast from the state prison in Huntsville began airing on the radio and collecting a devoted audience. A new book collects the stories of the men and women who performed on the show and at the annual Texas Prison Rodeo. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/05/18/055_Goree_Girls_Wagon_TT.jpg)
![The Goree band hitches a ride to the rodeo in the mid-1960s.]()
Credit: Texas Department of Criminal Justice