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Amalia Beckner

Amalia Beckner is a lawyer in the felony trial division of the Harris County Public Defender’s Office.

In a Pandemic, Poor Defendants Could Pay With Their Lives

by Amalia Beckner | Mon, Mar 30, 2020 at 11:05 am CST

The essay's author speaks with book club participants during a meeting.

Criminal Justice

Why I Started a Book Club in the Harris County Jail

Education programs make jails safer and reduce rates of recidivism when people reenter society.

Mon, Dec 2, 2019 |

I felt my blood pressure rising, heard my heartbeat in my ears, and tasted my mouth drying out as the heavy jail door slammed shut behind me. It was my first time in 4J2, a maximum-security women’s pod in the … Read More