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Jolie McCullough reports on criminal justice issues and policy for The Texas Tribune. She came to the Tribune in early 2015 from the Albuquerque Journal, where she worked for four years on breaking news and data-driven projects. She is a graduate of Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication; while there, she interned as a reporter and online producer at the Arizona Republic and served as the web editor of the student-run newspaper, the State Press.
Judges questioned both the inmates' arguments and state's positions in a Thursday hearing. In April, the appeals court temporarily blocked a lower judge's order against the Texas Department of Criminal Justice over its coronavirus practices and policies at a geriatric prison. Full Story
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Many reentry services offered to those leaving incarceration — like help with housing and employment — have moved online or been halted since the new coronavirus hit the state. Full Story
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The state purchased 300,000 oral swab tests from a months-old California company. So far, only highly-infected prisons are using them for mass testing. Full Story
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The Texas Department of Criminal Justice said it will begin having prisoners test themselves with a newly approved test. So far, less than 2% of state prisoners have been tested for the virus. More than 1,700 have been infected, and 30 have died. Full Story
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Some of the nation's biggest COVID-19 outbreaks have been in prisons and jails, and they can quickly spread to surrounding communities. Are Texas prisons doing enough to protect inmates, staff and the public? Full Story
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The high court did not weigh in on the arguments that Gov. Greg Abbott's order went beyond his executive powers in a disaster. Instead, it ruled that the Harris County judges were the wrong plaintiffs. Full Story
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The ruling temporarily halted a lower court's order that was handed down after inmates at a geriatric prison sued the Texas prison system over its handling of the coronavirus. Full Story
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The Houston judge issued a temporary order against the Texas Department of Criminal Justice at a geriatric prison after older inmates sued the prison system over its handling of the coronavirus. Full Story
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Relatives of Texas prisoners approved for parole question why their loved ones have to stay in disease-prone facilities while completing programs they say could be done virtually and from home. Full Story
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On Friday, a state district judge blocked enforcement of Abbott's order, which prohibits jail release for some inmates without paying bail during the coronavirus pandemic. She cited unconstitutional provisions and executive overreach as reasons for her order. Full Story
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The Texas Department of Justice sent a letter to county sheriffs announcing the new policy Saturday. Full Story
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The governor's order prohibited judges from releasing some inmates without paying bail. The lawsuit filed Wednesday argued it violated the constitutional separation of powers and discriminated against poor defendants. Full Story
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The death of the 72-year-old man came one day after a 49-year-old correctional officer who worked at a different prison died. The state is locking down 15 prisons where inmates or guards have tested positive for the disease. Full Story
Misdemeanor judges and criminal defense organizations argue the governor's order unconstitutionally oversteps his authority over judges and creates a wealth-based detention system. It's the second court challenge to the order. Full Story
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Plaintiffs in an ongoing Harris County lawsuit over felony bail practices are asking a federal judge to temporarily block Abbott's order. Full Story
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The judges are under a federal court order to release low-level defendants without collecting bail payment after the county's cash bail practices were found unconstitutional. The governor's Sunday order does not allow those accused of low-level crimes to leave jail without access to cash if they have a past violent conviction. Full Story
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice's measures to combat the new coronavirus are insufficient at a geriatric prison, the complaint said. Full Story
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Abbott's order bans release without paying bail for inmates who are accused of or have been convicted in the past of violent offenses. Defendants with cash could still walk free. Full Story
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The Texas prison system and Dallas County both reported the first Texas cases of inmates testing positive for the new coronavirus this week. Self-quarantines and social distancing aren't always possible for those who've been exposed. Full Story
The 37-year-old man has been isolated and is being treated at the prison system's Galveston hospital, where he's been for three days. Full Story