Tag Archives: juvenile justice
A Tale of Two Prison Systems
Scandals led to increased transparency for Texas’ juvenile lockups. When will lawmakers demand the same for the state’s adult prisons?
Early in the morning on February 22, Jeffrey Jelinski, a 58-year-old serving prison time for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, died at the state’s LeBlanc ...Read More
The Midterms Trigger a Seismic Shift in Harris County’s Courts
Among the Democrats who won all 59 judicial seats at play in the midterms: a socialist and 19 black women running on criminal justice reform.
The Democratic sweep in Harris County Tuesday night could remake one of the largest criminal justice systems in the country. When the blue wave crashed into Hou...Read More
Texas Juvenile Justice System Loses an Advocate, Gains Another Career Cop
Advocates fear Abbott’s replacement of juvenile justice watchdog hints at new “law enforcement approach” to transparency at the troubled agency.
Lawmakers and advocates have loudly demanded changes at the Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD) since the beleaguered agency’s latest high-profile embarr...Read More
Problems Hide in Plain Sight at Texas’ Youth Lockups
Critics say Texas’ five remaining juvenile prisons not only fail to rehabilitate young people but “actually make them worse.”
It was spring break 2017 at the McLennan County State Juvenile Correctional Facility, and the young inmates were more restless than normal. Some of the teens ro...Read More
In Texas, the School-to-Prison Pipeline is Still Going Strong
Students of color and children with special needs were disproportionately affected by law enforcement’s involvement in schools.
Despite the Texas Legislature’s efforts to curb the school-to-prison pipeline, law enforcement still plays a major role in disciplining students for minor inf...Read More
State of Texas: Cops in the Classroom
Schools have been caught lately between two opposing trends: On one hand, juvenile crime rates are declining. On the other hand, school shootings have prompted ...Read More
A Year of Cops in the Classroom
This was a national conversation, a slice of the broader debate over police violence and systemic impunity, but it’s a Texas story, too — both for better an...Read More
More Girls Locked Up Longer in Texas’ Juvenile Justice System
Nationwide, girls are entering the system at a higher rate than before, even though overall youth delinquency has gone down over the last 20 years. A new study ...Read More
Too Young to Jail
Texas has come a long way in juvenile justice reform. But this year, the question of whether to raise the age of "criminal responsibility" has split some lawmak...Read More