Latest Contributions

• Texas’ highest criminal court tosses death sentence of Raymond Riles, state’s longest-serving death row inmate

  by Jolie McCullough April 14, 2021

  Riles has been deemed mentally incompetent for execution repeatedly in his decades on death row. Full Story 

• Voters would have to approve police budget cuts under bill approved by Texas Senate

  by Jolie McCullough and Juan Pablo Garnham Updated: April 13, 2021

  Despite loud opposition from Democrats who said the legislation overstepped local governments, Senate Bill 23 passed with broad bipartisan support. Full Story 

• Texas investigating allegations that unaccompanied migrant children are being abused, sexually assaulted in San Antonio

  by Jolie McCullough Updated: April 7, 2021

  The governor did not know the identities of those who alleged assault, nor did he provide many details. He said he was concerned more than one child may have been assaulted. Full Story 

• Texas lawmakers advancing bail bills that opponents say do little for people stuck in jail because they're poor

  by Jolie McCullough April 6, 2021

  Texas courts have long been criticized for keeping people in jail pending trial who can't afford to post bond. Two priority bills this session would change the bail system, but they're primarily aimed at keeping potentially dangerous defendants behind bars. Full Story 

• Texas prisons stopped in-person visits and limited mail. Drugs got in anyway.

  by Jolie McCullough, The Texas Tribune, and Keri Blakinger, The Marshall Project March 29, 2021

  Agency data shows officers are finding just as many drugs — and writing up even more prisoners for having them — despite the restrictions. Contraband is most often brought in by staff, according to prisoners and employees. Full Story 

• Texas' George Floyd Act seeks to reform violent police behavior. But a sticking point centers on protecting officers from lawsuits.

  by Jolie McCullough March 25, 2021

  A provision that would remove police officers' legal shield against civil lawsuits has been pegged by multiple lawmakers as a sticking point in the Republican-led Legislature. Full Story 

• Austin officer charged with murder in Michael Ramos' death as lawmakers file bills making it harder to withhold body camera footage

  by Reese Oxner and Jolie McCullough Updated: March 11, 2021

  Almost a year after Michael Ramos, a Black and Hispanic man, was killed in Austin, Christopher Taylor, the officer who shot him, has been charged with murder. Full Story 

• Texas lifts yearlong ban on prison visitation beginning March 15

  by Jolie McCullough March 9, 2021

  State prisons shut down visitation last March due to the coronavirus pandemic. Full Story 

• Texas courts cleared for in-person trials, and local officials will decide whether to require face masks

  by Jolie McCullough March 5, 2021

  The Texas Supreme Court’s new order follows Gov. Greg Abbott’s announcement that he will lift a statewide mask mandate and many other coronavirus restrictions next week. Full Story 

• Harris County got rid of cash bail for many people accused of minor crimes. GOP lawmakers want to walk that back.

  by Jolie McCullough March 3, 2021

  Recent reforms that let more people accused of minor offenses be released without posting cash bonds appear to be working, new research shows. But Houston area lawmakers want to roll them back. Full Story 

• Texas jails and prisons see brutal cold and overfilled toilets in winter storm

  by Jolie McCullough Feb. 18, 2021

  Power and water outages have also hit many Texas lockups. Inmates have feared for their safety and officers were kept at their job for days. Full Story 

• Texas’ power grid is stabilizing, but more than 300,000 remain without electricity

  by Jolie McCullough, Cassandra Pollock and Neelam Bohra Updated: Feb. 18, 2021

  Many people in the state still do not have power, and millions have had their water service disrupted. Full Story 

• Texas leaders failed to heed warnings that left the state's power grid vulnerable to winter extremes, experts say

  by Erin Douglas, Kate McGee and Jolie McCullough Updated: Feb. 19, 2021

  Texas officials knew winter storms could leave the state’s power grid vulnerable, but they left the choice to prepare for harsh weather up to the power companies — many of which opted against the costly upgrades. That, plus a deregulated energy market largely isolated from the rest of the country’s power grid, left the state alone to deal with the crisis, experts said. Full Story 

• With more dangerous weather approaching, Texans say officials didn’t warn them about going days without power

  by Jolie McCullough and Duncan Agnew Feb. 16, 2021

  Texas' energy grid operators warned of rolling, short-term power outages. Millions of homes have been without power since early Monday morning. Full Story 

• Austin Police Chief Brian Manley retiring months after council members called for his removal

  by Jolie McCullough Updated: Feb. 12, 2021

  Manley worked for the department for 30 years. Last summer, he faced harsh criticism after police killed an unarmed man and then seriously injured nonviolent protesters. Full Story 

• Gov. Greg Abbott prioritized changing how bail is set. He isn’t addressing people stuck behind bars because they can’t afford to pay.

  by Jolie McCullough Feb. 11, 2021

  Multiple federal courts have found Texas' cash bail practices discriminatory against poor people. The governor has said his priority bill will instead focus on keeping "dangerous criminals" in jail before they're convicted. Full Story 

• Texas prisons have doled out thousands of COVID-19 vaccine doses — but none have gone to prisoners, who get the virus at high rates

  by Jolie McCullough Feb. 3, 2021

  The Texas Department of Criminal Justice has been allocated nearly 9,000 doses. The agency vaccinated prison health care workers, then correctional staff in infected areas. Full Story 

• Texas Republican asks state to rename several of the state's prisons honoring slave owners

  by Jolie McCullough Jan. 29, 2021

  There are 99 state prisons and jails in the state, and several of which are named after people with racist and sometimes violent histories, according to The Marshall Project. Full Story 

• With a stalled court system, some Texas jails are dangerously overcrowded in the pandemic

  by Jolie McCullough Jan. 28, 2021

  The Harris County sheriff has pleaded for help from a federal judge to make room at the “bursting” jail in Houston, where six inmates and two employees have died from COVID-19. Full Story 

• Gov. Greg Abbott maintains hard line against cuts to city police budgets, remains silent on reform proposals

  by Jolie McCullough Jan. 21, 2021

  Touting his public safety priorities for the legislative session, the governor continued to assail Austin for redirecting part of its police budget. He backed changes in police training, but said little else about reforming policing or accountability. Full Story