Your afternoon reading.
August 2010
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TriBlog: Harris County Jail Controversy to Be Continued
It wasn’t so much a grilling as a polite discussion this morning between Harris County officials and members of the Texas Commission on Jail Standards. Despite continued overcrowding at the county’s four facilities and ongoing concerns about inmate conditions, the county is expected in November to ask the commission for permission to continue filling the jails with hundreds of so-called “variance beds” — beds beyond the capacity for which the buildings were designed.
Posted inState Government
The Brief: Aug. 5, 2010
Go ahead and quit while you’re behind, Gov. Rick Perry is telling challenger Bill White for the second time.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Weed All About It
For nearly a decade, advocates of expanded use of medical marijuana have been spurned by the Texas Legislature — but giving up isn’t how they roll. So they’re trying again with a limited proposal.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
The Big House Isn’t Big Enough
At today’s hearing of the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, Sheriff Adrian Garcia will be grilled about efforts to control overcrowding at Harris County’s four jail facilities, which have seen a dramatic population spike. At the urging of Houston lawmakers, Garcia will be pressed to explain why he wants to keep housing more inmates than the facilities can accommodate, and why some recommendations by the county’s own consultant for ways to reduce its jail population have gone unheeded.
Posted in
Demographics
Tony Hefner: The TT Interview
The author and former security guard at the Port Isabel detention center for illegal immigrants talked with the Tribune last week about the torture, sexual abuse and drug smuggling he says he witnessed there.
Posted inState Government
The Weekly TribCast: Episode 40
The whole TribCast gang is back to discuss President Barack Obama’s upcoming visit to Texas, KBH’s donors, the great debate wait, and whether corruption is a convincing argument in campaigns.
Posted inState Government
2010: Perry and White Bicker Over BTEC
For the second time, Gov. Rick Perry is calling on his Democratic opponent, Bill White, to drop out of the race.
Posted inState Government
TribBlog: Driving While Lobbying [Updated]
Former State Rep. Pat Haggerty was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in San Diego on Saturday after failing a sobriety test at a police checkpoint. State Sen. Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay, was in the car with Haggerty when the driver was allegedly operating a rental car with a blood-alcohol level exceeding the .08 state limit.
