Thousands of parole-approved prisoners remain locked up during the public health crisis. The coronavirus has delayed pre-release programs and kept people set to go home inside infected prisons.
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
Politics
Houston’s Chinese Consulate abruptly ordered to close by Trump administration
The first sign of the American order came when a Houston TV station aired video showing people in the courtyard of the consulate apparently burning documents on Tuesday night.
Posted in
Economy
Trump scales back landmark environmental law, saying it will help restart the economy
Activists warn that the changes will sideline communities of color and are concerned about projects’ climate impacts.
Posted in
Coronavirus in Texas
Thousands of Texas prisoners still have the coronavirus. More than 25% of inmates at four units are infected.
At one prison, more than 750 inmates were actively infected with the coronavirus Monday, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Posted in
Politics
Joaquin Castro to challenge party elders for chair of House Foreign Affairs Committee amid reckoning on foreign policy
The move will pit Castro, a four-term House member and chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, against more senior colleagues in contention for the gavel: Rep. Brad Sherman of California and Rep. Gregory W. Meeks of New York.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Texas executes Billy Wardlow, who was 18 when he killed a man. Experts argued that’s too young for a death sentence.
Wardlow had asked the U.S. Supreme Court to rule that he was too young to get the Texas death penalty. His execution was the first in Texas to proceed during the pandemic as the coronavirus rages across the state.
Posted in
Coronavirus in Texas
He was supposed to be in prison less than a year. Instead, he died after catching the coronavirus.
At least 84 Texas state prisoners have died after contracting the coronavirus, including men who were serving short sentences or set to soon go home. As the death count rose, advocates unsuccessfully called on the governor and parole board for early release.
Posted inState Government
Texans across the state march to demand justice for Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillén
Guillén, a 20-year-old Army specialist, went missing in April from the Central Texas Army post. Remains found last week were confirmed to be hers, her family said. Her disappearance sparked protests against the military for its handling of sexual harassment allegations.
Posted in
Marijuana in Texas
Austin police will no longer cite or arrest people for possessing small amounts of marijuana
The police chief announced the policy change Thursday, more than a year after the Texas Legislature legalized hemp and complicated marijuana prosecution throughout the state.
Posted in
Police brutality in Texas
Watch: Texas’ police use-of-force tactics scrutinized after George Floyd protests
The Texas Tribune spoke to criminologists, policy makers and advocates to hear their perspectives on what the current moment means for Texas and what happens next.