State troopers can end inaccurate reporting of the race and ethnicity of drivers they pull over by simply asking them for that information, Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw told lawmakers Wednesday.
Johnathan Silver
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.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Report Recommends Police Reform Mental Health Policies
Holding up San Antonio as an example, a report released Tuesday by the Vera Institute of Justice recommends law enforcement agencies change their practices regarding mental illness, sex workers and addiction.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Black Lives Matter Searches for Its Next Step
More than two years after the heat of anger over Trayvon Martin’s shooting in Florida fused into Black Lives Matter, an Austin chapter is trying to mold its energy into an agenda to influence state lawmakers.
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Criminal Justice
New Statewide Jail Form Aimed at Suicide Risks
In the wake of the hanging death of Sandra Bland and other recent suicides, the state agency that oversees jails is issuing a new inmate intake form so jailers will ask more specific, direct questions when booking people.
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Criminal Justice
Report: Veteran Mental Health Ignored in Capital Cases
Veterans sentenced to death in Texas murder cases — and nationwide — might have escaped the punishment if juries had been told about their military service and any ensuing mental health problems, says a report released Tuesday.
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Criminal Justice
Straus Forms Select Committee on Mental Health
The committee will review and make recommendations on substance abuse, care for veterans, identifying illnesses early and improving delivery of mental health care.
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Criminal Justice
Commission Begins Study of Wrongful Convictions
The Timothy Cole Exoneration Review Commission Thursday paid tribute to its namesake – who was wrongfully convicted in a 1985 rape case – and began setting a vision for its role in prevent further wrongful convictions in Texas.
Posted inState Government
Court Again Denies DNA Tests in Death Row Case
The state’s highest criminal court on Wednesday reversed for a second time a state district judge’s order that would have allowed East Texas death row inmate Larry Swearingen to test DNA from evidence in his murder case.
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Criminal Justice
Judge Moves “Bernie” Trial to Neighboring County
Convicted murderer Bernie Tiede’s new sentencing trial will be moved from Carthage — where he killed 81-year-old Marjorie Nugent nearly two decades ago — to Henderson, in a neighboring East Texas county.
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Criminal Justice
“Bernie” Back in Court Tuesday for Murder
As the 19th anniversary of Marjorie Nugent’s murder looms, her killer, Bernhardt “Bernie” Tiede II, returns to an East Texas courtroom Tuesday as attorneys spar in advance of a new sentencing hearing.
