The cost to treat Texas inmates with hepatitis C is expected to soar by as much as 380 percent next year. Legislators, already facing a strained budget, will have to find millions more dollars to pay for this care.

Democrat Keith Hampton is focusing his campaign to lead the state’s top criminal court on winning over Republicans. That is the key, he says, to defeating controversial long-time Judge Sharon Keller.

Texas lawmakers passed a law they hoped would prevent faulty eyewitness identifications, which have been the leading cause of wrongful convictions. The Innocence Project of Texas is checking to see if the law is being implemented.

The state association that represents prosecutors reviewed 91 cases in which Innocence Project researchers identified prosecutor error or misconduct. The organization concluded there were actually only six cases of misconduct.

Recovering organs from willing convicted murderers may seem like a reasonable method to reduce the organ waiting list, but the proposal is fraught with challenges that make it unlikely to ever be an option. 

For youths who are considered some of the most troubled in the juvenile justice system, the Phoenix Program is a last chance to straighten their paths. For the troubled juvenile system, it may be the road to reform.

The Texas Juvenile Justice Board on Friday voted to hire Michael Griffiths to be the next leader of the youth justice agency as it struggles to improve security and safety at its juvenile correctional facilities.

If Rusty Hardin ever thought he was special, he says, he'd lose all the advantages that have made him one of Texas' most successful prosecutors and famous defense lawyers. Now he's taking on a special role: investigating the wrongful conviction of Michael Morton.

Instead of continuing to spend millions on problem-plagued secure facilities operated by the Texas Juvenile Justice Department, juvenile justice reform advocates say legislators should invest more in local probation departments.

A judge in Montgomery County plans to recommend that the state move forward with the execution of Larry Swearingen, who argues that science proves he is innocent of the 1998 murder for which he was condemned to die.

Thomas Ratliff, a lobbyist and State Board of Education member, has taken on exoneree Michael Morton as a client for the 2013 session. It's a decision that is sure not to warm the frosty relations between Ratliff and fellow SBOE member David Bradley.

The U.S. Supreme Court declined a request to stay the execution of Marvin Wilson scheduled for this evening. Wilson's lawyers argue that he is mentally disabled and should be exempted from the death penalty.

Last month, inspectors conducted surprise safety and security reviews at the state's secure juvenile facilities. Among the findings: lax security procedures and problems with documentation.

Delma Banks Jr., one of Texas death row's longest residents, on Wednesday agreed to a life sentence for the 1980 murder of Richard Whitehead. He will be eligible for parole in 12 years.

In the case of a 64-year-old former Texas inmate with high blood pressure and other health conditions, a federal appeals court ruled that extreme temperatures can violate prisoners' constitutional rights.