Criminal Justice
The Prosecution Rests
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
In Harris County, the ‘Slow Erosion’ of a System That Keeps People in Jail Because They’re Poor
The case to end cash bail puts Harris County judges and magistrates under a microscope.
The young woman muttered “yeah” when asked if she wanted a court-appointed lawyer. That wasn’t good enough for Harris County magistrate Eric Hagstette, wh...Read More
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
Can a Convicted Felon Run for Office in Texas? Lewis Conway Jr. Intends to Find Out.
“Children whose fathers are locked up, they need to see somebody like me on City Council,” said Conway.
Last spring, Lewis Conway Jr., a 47-year-old community organizer, began planning a campaign for Austin City Council like most candidates do. He gathered friends...Read More
Austin City Council Takes a Step Toward Police Reform, Rejects Union Contract
Activists said the contract would perpetuate a broken system of citizen oversight and shield cops who engage in misconduct.
Late Wednesday night, after almost nine hours of impassioned public testimony, Austin City Council rejected a police union contract that watchdogs say would per...Read More
How the Expiration of Austin’s Police Union Contract Could be a Rare Opportunity for Reform
Austin is the latest city where activists have sought police reform by targeting collective bargaining agreements.
For a manual on police union negotiations, Ron DeLord’s early work makes for an entertaining read. The former head of the Combined Law Enforcement Association...Read More
Man Mistaken for Burglar, Shot by Police then Shackled to Hospital Bed and Barred from Seeing Family
“Victims of police brutality and their families should not be treated this way.”
After mistaking him for a burglar and shooting him twice, police charged Lyndo Jones with evading arrest, shackled him to his Dallas hospital bed and blocked fa...Read More
Meet Nueces County’s New DA, a Self-Professed ‘Mexican Biker Lawyer Covered in Tattoos’
Mark Gonzalez is listed as a gang member in police databases, has "not guilty" tattooed on his chest and is hoping to bring reform to Corpus Christi.
Early this year, border agents ran a name-check and wound up briefly detaining Mark Gonzalez as he traveled home to Corpus Christi after a vacation in Mexico. T...Read More
Texas Cities Embrace a Softer Approach to Pot Possession as State Reforms Stall
“How harshly you’re treated for possessing cannabis in Texas now varies city by city, county by county.”
Remember David Simpson? He was a peculiar kind of conservative lawmaker, about as fundamentalist Christian as they come, while also passionately articulating th...Read More