Inmate Families Sue Over Heat-Related Prison Deaths
Four inmates' families on Thursday sued the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for wrongful deaths, alleging that prison officials failed to protect the men from extreme heat. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Jail-Prison-Bars-1.jpg)
-
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Rob Crow -
Complaint Targets Process Used by Truancy Court
A complaint being filed with the U.S. Department of Justice seeks to declare that a Dallas County court’s process of prosecuting truancy as a crime is unconstitutional. But officials in the county say the initiative has been a model of success. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/06/11/JuvenileJustice-School_1.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
Gallego Wants Combs to Update Study on Immigrants' Fiscal Impact
U.S. Rep. Pete Gallego, D-Alpine, is asking the state comptroller to update a study on the fiscal impact of Texas' population of undocumented immigrants. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
TDCJ to Close Two Privately Run Jails in August
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice has decided to end operations at two privately run Texas prison facilities — the Dawson State Jail in Dallas and the Mineral Wells Pre-Parole Transfer Facility — on Aug. 31. Full Story
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Rob Crow -
Abortion-Related Legislation Added to Special Session Agenda
The special session's agenda now includes the hot-button issue of abortion — which is sure to spark partisan warfare. Gov. Rick Perry also ordered the Legislature to take up a measure dealing with sentences for 17-year-olds convicted of capital felonies. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Budget Plan for DPS Has Pay Hikes for Troopers
The 2014-15 budget plan for the Texas Department of Public Safety doesn't include money for big-ticket items like gunboats or planes, but it does include money for troopers’ raises and retains funding for the agency’s fusion center. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/_KCA9035.jpg)
![Texas DPS agent Cuevas removes a M2-40 machine gun from newly commissioned patrol vessel. The boat, part of the Tactical Marine Unit, funded by federal Homeland Security grants, will help with the state's efforts in combating Mexican drug cartels patrolling the Rio Grande River]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Water Treaty Concerns Trigger Lobbying Efforts, Calls for Changes
The Rio Grande Regional Water Authority has hired a PR firm to help urge the federal government to mandate that Mexico deliver water to the U.S. under a decades-old treaty. Legal experts say such conflicts would continue if the treaty isn't amended. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/06/04/RioGrande.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Mikel Manitius -
Complaint: Judge's Death Penalty Remarks Show Racial Bias
Civil rights groups and ethicists allege that 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Edith Jones violated judicial codes of conduct during a February speech in which she reportedly said some minority groups are "predisposed to crime." Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/06/03/EdithJones-Mexico-Justice-3.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
-
Cruz Outlines Opposition to Immigration Reform Bill
The immigration reform bill slated to go before the U.S. Senate next week is full of loopholes that fail to secure the border or address legal immigration, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz wrote in a letter to his colleagues on Tuesday. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Video: Acquittals Leave 2004 Murder Unsolved
Megan Winfrey spent six years behind bars before she was acquitted of murder. Now, she is hoping to help solve the mystery of who brutally killed school janitor Murray Burr in 2004. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/videos/TxTrib-WinfreyAftermath017.JPG)
![Article thumbnail]()
-
Despite Acquittal, Winfrey Struggles Outside Prison
Megan Winfrey spent six years — nearly all of the 25-year-old's adult life — behind bars before she was acquitted of murder. She faces the colossal challenge of starting her life without compensation for the years she lost in prison. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/05/31/MW-2.jpg)
![Megan Winfrey, 25, points at photos of her daughter Danielle Hammond, 7, in her mobile home in Coldspring, Texas, Thursday, May 23, 2013. Megan Winfrey was released from prison after being acquitted of murder earlier this year. The court said that the dog-sniff evidence used to secure her conviction was insufficient.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato -
Report: Immigrants' Economic Strength in Texas Increases
The number of naturalized citizens in Texas is on the rise, as is the purchasing power and economic output of the state's native-born and immigrant Hispanic and Asian populations, according to an Immigration Policy Center report. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/02/22/Protest-3.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman -
The 83rd Lege's Regular Session: What Happened and What Didn't
Lawmakers raced to get several bills passed before the 83rd Legislature's regular session ended. And with Monday's announcement of a special session, their work isn't done. Here's a look at the deals reached and the measures that fell short in the regular session. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich / Marjorie Kamys Cotera / Todd Wiseman -
Bill, Budget Expand Authority of Forensic Science Commission
Legislators are planning to give the Texas Forensic Science Commission authority to review many more labs and types of forensic analysis and to double the agency’s budget, hoping it will become a national model. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
House Halts Attempt to Expand Lawmakers' Gun Rights
Many self-proclaimed gun enthusiasts in the Texas House aren't ready to expand their own gun rights if they can't do the same for their constituents. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/05/23/GunSign-TxLege_1.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
Business Association Scores Victories on Criminal Justice Agenda
This session, the Texas Association of Business put a focus on legislation related to criminal justice, as it advocated for bills aimed at helping ex-offenders get jobs. Here's a look at legislation that the group backed. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Jail-Crowding.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
Texas Standing Out on Multiple Fronts in Immigration Debate
Texas is showing how unique it is when it comes to matters of immigration. Statistics say it has more undocumented immigrants in detention centers than any other state. And organizers of a virtual march for immigration reform say the state is the perfect spot to host related events. Full Story
Credit: Todd Wiseman -
Clock Runs Out on Bill Requiring Drug Testing for State Benefits
UPDATED: The Texas House allowed the clock to run out Tuesday night on Senate Bill 11, an initiative that would have created a drug testing regimen for some welfare benefits. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/04/08/DrugTest001.JPG)
![A medical technician handles and prepares urine sample to be tested for drugs at a small medical clinic in Austin.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
House Tentatively OKs Bill to Review Solitary Confinement
UPDATED: The House on Tuesday tentatively approved a bill that would require a now-defunct legislative oversight committee to hire a third party to review solitary confinement conditions in Texas prisons and juvenile lockups. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/03/05/mental_illness_prison_overcrowding.png)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
DNA Testing Mandate Gets Early House Approval
The Texas House gave early approval on Tuesday to a requirement that the Department of Public Safety perform DNA testing on all biological evidence prior to the start of cases that involve the death penalty. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/03/19/DNAcmsMCx.jpg)
![Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, c, discusses SB 1292 on pre-trial DNA testing March 19, 2013 with Sen. Robert Duncan, l, and Attorney Gen. Greg Abbott.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/a6b05603a6317b84d289d12d42064201/TT%20EVENT%20Gallego%20134%202012)
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/f3f7e918cdeea00e8a4425a730549ab2/BD%20INC%20State%20of%20the%20State%20Perry%202013)
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/a4983a45dbf5cb3ca38d2e742b83e516/BD%20INC%20Cruz%20Austin%20Chamber%20Commerce%206551%202013)
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/60ea8cc29b3bb0a1a5b313c6dfac5089/DO%20NOT%20USE%20Lege%20Collage)
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/1795845919c6619c0f085fc9f2f1554d/BD%20INC%20Hinojosda%2002%202011)
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/02/22/Protest-7jpg)