DAY 19 of our month-long series on the effects of new state laws and budget cuts: Sugar Land’s historic, art deco-style prison is closing.
Brandi Grissom
Brandi Grissom worked at the Tribune from its launch in 2009 until 2014, rising to the rank of managing editor. In addition to editing duties, Grissom led the Tribune's coverage of criminal justice issues. During her tenure at the Tribune, she was chosen as a 2012 City University of New York Center on Media, Crime and Justice/H.F. Guggenheim Journalism Fellow and was a fellow at the 2012 Journalist Law School at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. Grissom, along with Tribune multimedia producer Justin Dehn, received a 2012 regional Edward R. Murrow Award for investigative reporting for work on the case of Megan Winfrey, who was acquitted of murder in February 2013 after the Trib’s coverage brought statewide attention the case. Grissom joined the Tribune after four years at the El Paso Times, where she acted as a one-woman Capitol bureau. Grissom won the Associated Press Managing Editors First-Place Award in 2007 for using the Freedom of Information Act to report stories on a variety of government programs and entities, and the ACLU of Texas named her legislative reporter of the year in 2007 for her immigration reporting. She previously served as managing editor at The Daily Texan and has worked for the Alliance Times-Herald, the Taylor Daily Press, the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung and The Associated Press. A native of Alliance, Neb., she has a degree in history from the University of Texas.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Video: Texas Closes Central Prison Unit
For the first time, Texas is closing a state prison. Take a look inside the historic Central Unit in Sugar Land as workers prepare it for shuttering.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
DNA Implicates Another Man in 25-Year-Old Murder Case
New DNA test results in a 25-year-old murder case cast doubt on the conviction of Michael Morton, who was accused of killing his wife, Christine, in their Williamson County home on Aug. 13, 1986.
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Criminal Justice
Skinner, Awaiting DNA Ruling, Gets New Execution Date
For the fourth time, the state of Texas is scheduled to execute death row inmate Hank Skinner for the 1993 murders of his live-in girlfriend and her two sons, potentially quashing his ability to request DNA testing under a new state law.
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Criminal Justice
Executions Probably Not an Issue — for Now
This week, Martin Robles became Texas’ ninth execution of the year. Convicted in a Corpus Christi gang shooting, his death was not among the most controversial to happen on the watch of Gov. Rick Perry. During his decade in the Texas governor’s office, Perry has overseen more than 230 executions, more than any governor in modern history.
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Criminal Justice
Inmates Complain of Sweltering Prison Conditions
As the heat index statewide soars above 100 degrees day after day, Texas inmate advocates say complaints about sweltering conditions are increasing along with concerns about prisoners’ health.
Posted inCriminal Justice
Stay of Execution Could Give Death Row Inmate Another Day in Court
A rare stay of execution from the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals could give death row inmate Larry Swearingen the chance he’s always wanted to use science to prove his innocence.
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Criminal Justice
Adan Muñoz: The TT Interview
Adan Muñoz, executive director of the Texas Commission on Jail Standards talks with The Texas Tribune about budget cuts and the challenges of running a jail.
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Criminal Justice
Adan Muñoz: The TT Interview
The director of the Texas Commission on Jail Standards on the agency’s budget cuts, jail overcrowding and eroding facilities.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
AG Ruling May Spell End of Willingham Probe
The Texas Forensic Science Commission’s investigation of the science used to convict Cameron Todd Willingham may be at an end after the state’s top attorney ruled that the panel cannot consider evidence in cases older than 2005.
