Tag Archives: Prisons
New Report Finds — Surprise — Indigent Defense Attorneys Shouldn’t be Under the Control of the State Prison System
The Texas prison system controls an agency tasked with defending poor inmates accused of crimes inside Texas prisons. What could possibly go wrong?
A new report by a committee of the State Bar of Texas aims to draw attention to a glaringly obvious conflict of interest at a little-known indigent defense syst...Read More
The Road to Huntsville
My days on "the chain" — the prison bus to Huntsville — are long over, but they're still with me.
My days on "the chain" — the prison bus to Huntsville — are long over, but they're still with me....Read More
Social Media Ban Could Curb Free Speech Behind Bars
Prison reform activists say a new social media policy inside Texas prisons could keep both prisoners and advocates from talking about life on the inside....Read More
The Draw of Death Row
With “dark tourism” on the rise, Huntsville’s prison museum is thriving.
The gift shop offers shirts honoring the electric chair: "Home of Old Sparky," and the museum's visitors get a 'selectively edited' history of corrections....Read More
Raising the Bars
What's next for Texas criminal justice reform?
Here's what Texas lawmakers can, and should, do for criminal and racial justice in the state in the wake of Sandra Bland's death while in police custody....Read More
State of Texas: Taking Stock of Prison Reform
While criminal justice reform efforts in Texas have gotten lots of positive press, incarceration trends are complex. ...Read More
Right (and Wrong) on Crime
For all the praise heaped on Texas for criminal justice reform, we’ve barely even begun the thaw.
After 14 years of enthusiastic prison-building, Perry is taking credit for a tiny softening in his rhetoric on crime just in time for a presidential run....Read More
Rick Perry Fails to Get Many Governors to Defy Prison Rape Law
Just four other governors answered Rick Perry's call to defy a federal law designed to reduce prison rape....Read More
House Endorses Prison Closures, Re-Entry Programs
On Saturday morning, the House showed just how far the criminal justice debate in Texas has come. The House passed SB 213, the sunset bill for the Texas Depa...Read More