Texas’ most populous county changed its bail practices for misdemeanor defendants last year after a lengthy lawsuit challenging cash bail.
Jolie McCullough
Jolie McCullough was a reporter at The Texas Tribune from 2015 to 2023. She began as a data visualization journalist and then reported on criminal justice policy, ranging from policing and courts to prisons and the death penalty. She joined the Tribune from the Albuquerque Journal, her hometown newspaper. She previously worked at the Arizona Republic and is a graduate of Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Posted in
Coronavirus in Texas
As Hurricane Laura heads for Southeast Texas, officials scramble to evacuate and shelter people during a pandemic
The storm is now a Category 4 hurricane whose dangerous winds and storm surge could cause damage along a large swath of the Gulf Coast and Southeast Texas.
Posted in
Coronavirus in Texas
EPA approves coronavirus cleanser for emergency use in Texas
Texas said it would allow American Airlines and two branches of a sports clinic to start using the new product.
Posted in
Police brutality in Texas
Texas put hundreds of hours into finding and arresting police brutality protesters. Lawyers call it a “witch hunt.”
Two days of unruly protests at the Texas Capitol in May left graffiti on the historic building and cuts and bruises on state police officers. Since then, the Texas Department of Public Safety has spent the summer naming and arresting suspects, the majority of whom are accused of misdemeanors.
Posted in
Environment
Daphne Prairie and other Texas grasslands can store carbon and help fight climate change
But there are few pieces of pristine land left like Daphne Prairie, untouched by plow or urban sprawl.
Posted in
Police brutality in Texas
Gov. Greg Abbott, other Texas leaders want to freeze property tax revenues for cities that cut police budgets
The state’s three top elected leaders also fiercely criticized the Austin officials who plan to cut up to one-third of their police department’s budget, largely through reorganizing divisions out from under law enforcement.
Posted in
Coronavirus in Texas
White House acknowledges new unemployment assistance less than what President Trump originally touted
Under President Donald Trump’s directive, the federal government may only have enough money to pay the enhanced $300 weekly benefits for about five weeks. The extra federal benefit was previously $600 a week.
Posted in
Coronavirus in Texas
The only Texas prison reporting zero coronavirus cases is where inmates make soap. But that’s not what’s credited with protecting it.
Of more than 100 Texas prison units, the Roach Unit’s apparent ability to avoid the virus has been attributed to a remote location and a warden who strictly enforces precautionary measures.
Posted inState Government
U.S. Army sergeant who shot Austin protester Garrett Foster posted tweets about retaliating against demonstrators
Daniel Perry has come forward as the shooter of Garrett Foster, a 28-year-old armed demonstrator who was killed while protesting police brutality in Austin last Saturday.
Posted in
Coronavirus in Texas
Young people are infecting older family members with coronavirus in multigenerational homes
The emerging trend highlights the difficulty of sheltering the most vulnerable while the young and healthy return to work and school.