The latest criminal justice news from The Texas Tribune.
U.S. Border Patrol agents say the illegal traffic on public and private land in the Rio Grande Valley has triggered the need for additional resources in the region. In response, an influx of agents from California, Arizona and Laredo have arrived in the area. 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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The Texas Juvenile Justice Department on Thursday is set to name its third leader in a month at a meeting of the board that oversees the agency. 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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Behind bars, art can be an important form of expression for women who have suffered from trauma, drug addiction or mental illness. Advocates plan to ask lawmakers for more money to provide inmates with art supplies and art therapy. 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
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The agency charged with prosecuting public corruption cases wrapped up an investigation into Wendy Davis last year without finding any issues worth pursuing and did not uncover anything it believed it should refer to the FBI. Full Story
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Six years after Texas officials removed hundreds of children from their polygamist parents, state and local authorities seized the sprawling 1,700-acre Yearning For Zion Ranch this week. Full Story
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Democrats are playing defense after a former border sheriff pleaded guilty to federal charges. The news comes after a firestorm over comments Greg Abbott made likening corruption near the Rio Grande to “third world” conditions. Full Story
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The Texas Department of Public Safety has stopped using its newest service firearm after state trooper recruits who were the first to use new Smith & Wesson M&P 9 mm handguns reported "concerns" about the weapon. Full Story
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A law enforcement training center based at Texas State University in San Marcos may receive $15 million in federal money to support programs that train officers how to handle situations like the recent Fort Hood shooting. Full Story
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Two separate rampage shootings within five years at Killeen’s Fort Hood Army base have sparked renewed discussion over whether those on military bases in Texas should be able to carry concealed handguns. Full Story
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After a Round Rock school police officer used a Taser to stop a fight Monday, some Texas youth advocates are urging Gov. Rick Perry to ban Tasers and pepper spray in public schools. Full Story
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UPDATED: Lawmakers are unlikely to abolish the Driver Responsibility Program next year, but at a hearing Monday, they encouraged critics of it to submit recommendations for reform. Full Story
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A judge has denied an injunction a Plano homeowners association sought to stop orthodox Jews from walking through the neighborhood to attend in-home religious ceremonies. Full Story
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Many residents of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, have reacted with silence to the death of a former mayor, who was allegedly kidnapped. It’s yet another signal that while violence has ebbed in the city, a climate of fear still exists. Full Story
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The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services approved a set of new regulations Friday that are meant to provide more protection for foster children. Full Story
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To the extent that Wednesday's Fort Hood shooting prompts a renewed discussion of guns in Texas, discussion will almost certainly be dominated by talk of increasing access to guns, not curtailing it. Full Story
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A special prosecutor, who is investigating whether Gov. Rick Perry abused his authority when he eliminated state funding of the Texas public integrity unit, told the Austin American-Statesman and KVUE that what he’s found so far is “concerning.” Full Story
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UPDATED: Tommy Lynn Sells was executed Thursday evening, the Associated Press reported, after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up his case challenging the state's denial of information about the drugs to be used in his execution. Full Story
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