Tag Archives: Prison
Having My Period in Prison Was Awful. In Texas, That May Finally Change.
When I was locked up, I often had to go without tampons or pads. A new law ensures that the 12,500 women still behind bars won’t have to.
“Does the commissary have any more tampons?” My bunkie shook her head. “I already asked when I went by there.” I panicked. “What are we gonna do? I’...Read More
Texas Schools Suspended Students Between Pre-K and Second Grade More than 70,000 Times in a Year
Black boys, foster care kids, and special ed students were disproportionately suspended, according to a new report from Texans Care for Children.
While racial disparities are a hallmark of the criminal justice system, a growing body of research shows that bias and unequal punishment start as early as pre-...Read More
When Prison Reform Goes Bad
What happened to the Legislature's two-decade-old attempt to break the cycle of incarceration for low-level felons?
In the early 1990s, the Texas Legislature tried to build something surprisingly progressive amid the state’s tough-on-crime prison boom: an alternative to pri...Read More
Waco Immigrant Mom Sues Private Prison Corporation over Alleged Sexual Abuse
A civil suit calls for Estela Fajardo to be paid between $200,000 and $1 million for alleged mistreatment at the Jack Harwell Detention Center.
Estela Fajardo, an immigrant mom and business owner, is suing a private prison corporation and a prison guard over sexual abuse she alleges occurred at Waco’s...Read More
A Houston Art Exhibit Gazes Unflinchingly at the Cruelty of Mass Incarceration
Featuring art from many current and former prisoners, Walls Turned Sideways gives visitors a visceral sense of confinement.
Last month, prisoners across the United States launched a coordinated work strike to protest the widespread use of forced labor, which the strikers described as...Read More
Women in Texas Prisons Denied Same Academic, Job Training Opportunities as Incarcerated Men
"Black holes of inattention" lead to stark gender disparities in the Texas prison system, according to a new report.
A gulf exists between educational opportunities and job certification programs offered to men and women in Texas prisons, according to a new report by the Texas...Read More
Texas Prison System Sheds Men, Swallows Even More Women
Report says rise in incarcerated women hints at disparities in the male-dominated criminal justice system.
More than 10,000 of the 12,500 women in Texas prisons have children waiting for them back home. Not only are incarcerated women much more likely to be parents t...Read More
A Prison By Any Other Name
How Texas created a new for-profit lock-up, which it really doesn't want you to call a "prison."
How Texas created a new for-profit lockup, which it really doesn’t want you to call a “prison.” – by Michael Barajas @michaelsbarajas Fe...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
