Tag Archives: Criminal Justice
Traffic Ticketing Program That Feeds Debtors’ Prison Pipeline May Be in its Final Year
To repeal the Driver Responsibility Program, lawmakers are proposing to increase all Texas traffic fines by $20.
Since 2003, an obscure Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) program has trapped more than a million Texans in a cycle of debt, opponents say. For nearly as l...Read More
Sandra Bland Act Passes Senate Unanimously After Key Provisions Dropped
“I would’ve preferred a more robust bill, but I’m happy — I’m elated — that there is a bill,” said author Garnet Coleman, D-Houston.
The version of the Sandra Bland Act that unanimously passed the Texas Senate Thursday afternoon isn’t the uncompromising criminal justice overhaul it was once...Read More
Legislature Plans to Close Four Correctional Facilities. Will They Become Immigrant Detention Centers?
Many see the closures as a step in the right direction, but some advocates worry what the empty prisons could mean for immigrant detention.
Lawmakers, agency heads and policy advocates alike see this as a “step in the right direction,” but some worry what empty prisons could mean for immigrant d...Read More
Dashcam Video: In Rush to Help Deport Immigrants, Texas State Troopers May Be Trampling the Constitution
Legal experts, pointing to a series of Supreme Court rulings, say a DPS trooper may have violated the Fourth Amendment.
Legal experts, pointing to a series of Supreme Court rulings, say a DPS trooper may have violated the Fourth Amendment....Read More
‘Another Book, Another Month, Another Day Closer to You’
The Women’s Storybook Project of Texas is an Austin nonprofit that encourages incarcerated mothers to read to their children.
The Women’s Storybook Project of Texas is an Austin nonprofit that encourages incarcerated mothers to read to their children....Read More
Marijuana Decriminalization Bill Advances Past Committee with GOP Support
Advocates applauded Monday's vote, pointing to the more than 61,000 Texans who were arrested for possession of marijuana in 2015.
Advocates applauded Monday's vote, pointing to the more than 61,000 Texans who were arrested for possession of marijuana in 2015....Read More
Bill to Improve Interactions Between Texans and Police Advances to Senate
The measure, carried by Democratic senators, advanced to the Senate with unanimous support, but Houston Black Lives Matter activists still oppose it.
The measure, carried by Democratic senators, advanced to the Senate with unanimous support, but Houston Black Lives Matter activists still oppose it....Read More
Puff, Puff, Pass? GOP Lawmakers Silent on Marijuana Decriminalization
As HB 81 nears a committee vote, the marijuana decriminalization measure has hardly encountered any resistance.
As HB 81 nears a committee vote, the marijuana decriminalization measure has hardly encountered any resistance....Read More
Locked In Limbo
Ankle monitors are preferable to putting immigrant families behind bars. But the devices interfere with daily life and work — and they aren’t always used as an alternative to detention.
Ankle monitors are preferable to putting immigrant families behind bars. But the devices interfere with daily life and work — and they aren’t always used as...Read More