Despite Bland family's complaints, House unlikely to beef up Sandra Bland Act
The House sponsor of the Senate's Sandra Bland Act won't try to change the bill's language, after key provisions were taken out in the upper chamber. Full Story
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Johnathan Silver
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Johnathan Silver reported on the state’s criminal justice system for the Tribune from 2015 to 2017. Previously, Johnathan was a Texas Associated Press Managing Editors Buster Haas intern and staff reporter at the Victoria Advocate. A Fort Worth native, Johnathan graduated from The University of Texas at Arlington with bachelor’s degrees in political science and criminal justice – and a graduation mug from The Shorthorn, the campus student newspaper.
Past Contributions
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![State Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, announces the Sandra Bland Act at a press conference at the Capitol on March 2, 2017. Those looking on behind him include state Reps. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin, and Eric Johnson, D-Dallas.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Texas House passes bill to outfit officers with bulletproof vests
Senate Bill 12, by state Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, would create and fund a bulletproof vest grant program to outfit approximately 50,000 officers with vests that can withstand rounds from high-caliber firearms. Full Story
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Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
"Sandra Bland Act" doesn't address cause of her arrest, family says
The legislation now mostly focuses on mental health issues and county jail operations. Full Story
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Texas Senate passes Sandra Bland Act
The bill would mandate that county jails divert people with mental health and substance abuse issues toward treatment, make it easier for defendants with a mental illness or intellectual disability to receive a personal bond and require that independent law enforcement agencies investigate jail deaths. Full Story
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![State Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, talks about the Sandra Bland Act, which would reform interactions between jailers and inmates with mental health issues on May 11, 2017. The bill passed unanimously in the Senate.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Rep. Dutton: If "raise the age" bill dies in Senate, I'll kill Senate bills
As a House bill that would raise the age of criminal responsibility from 17 to 18 languishes in the Senate in the final weeks of the legislative session, the bill's author promises "a funeral" for Senate bills if his bill dies. Full Story
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![State Rep. Harold Dutton, D-Houston, in the Speaker's Committee Room at the Capitol on May 10, 2017.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
After police shoot and kill unarmed teen, Texas lawmakers consider next steps
In the aftermath of the fatal shooting of an unarmed 15-year-old by police on Saturday night, Democrats in the state Capitol have pointed to relevant bills they say could prevent similar deaths. Full Story
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![15-year-old Mesquite High School freshman Jordan Edwards (left) was shot and killed by Balch Springs police officer Roy Oliver on April 29, 2017.]()
Credit: Mesquite High School yearbook/Facebook -
Sandra Bland Act gets nod from Texas Senate panel
The legislation would mandate that county jails route people with mental health crises and substance abuse issues to treatment and install electronic sensors or cameras to better monitor inmates. Full Story
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![Sandra Bland, who was found dead at the Waller County Jail in 2015.]()
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U.S. Supreme Court justices express caution, intrigue in death penalty case
U.S. Supreme Court justices Monday expressed concerns about the caseload federal appeals courts might see if they allow Texas death row inmate Erick Davila another chance in a lower court because of an error his lawyer made in the appeals process. Full Story
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![Death row inmate Erick Davila.]()
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House passes bill to raise age of criminal responsibility from 17 to 18
The "Raise the Age" bill, would move 17-year-old offenders from the adult criminal justice system to its juvenile justice counterpart beginning 2021. Full Story
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![State Rep. Harold Dutton, D-Houston, gives closing arguments on House Bill 122, which would raise the age of criminal responsibility in Texas from 17 to 18. The House passed the bill 92-52 on April 20, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Texas House panel approves bill to pay for bulletproof vests for police
Senate Bill 12 would create a grant program that would pay for bulletproof vests for all patrol officers in Texas. Full Story
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![A Houston police officer on the scene in a west Houston neighborhood where a gunman with an assault rifle shot one man and injured six before being killed by a SWAT officer on May 29, 2016.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune
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