The latest Texas Department Of Criminal Justice news from The Texas Tribune.
The Telford Unit reports by far the most assaults on staff of any state-run lockup and has one of the highest rates of understaffing. Take a look inside the northeast Texas prison where guards and inmates alike are suffering. Full Story
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The Texas Department of Criminal Justice released information Thursday night on the state's execution drug inventory. The department had stalled release of the records, which show that the expiration date of four doses was changed from January to November. See more details here. Full Story
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Earlier this month, defense lawyers claimed Texas was botching its executions with old drugs. Now, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice has stalled the release of information on how many lethal doses the state has and when they expire. Full Story
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Relatives of inmates have reported that more than 30 Texas prisons lacked adequate heating during the state's recent cold snap. A Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman said Wednesday that all prison units were “operating with adequate heating.” Full Story
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The Texas Department of Criminal Justice often takes heat for the books that are banned in state prisons. But the controversy escalated this week when Israel’s general consul to the Southwestern U.S. questioned why Mein Kampf isn't on the list. Full Story
A federal judge's order that some prison inmates relocated amid Hurricane Harvey's flooding be moved into air-conditioned units is prompting a big prisoner shakeup. Full Story
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As Hurricane Harvey approached Texas, state prison officials moved thousands of inmates to higher ground. But now that the storm has passed, about 600 of the evacuees gained protection from hot conditions in their cells thanks to an ongoing federal lawsuit. Full Story
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U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, an Austin Democrat, is asking about prisoner safety in Beaumont after Hurricane Harvey. Inmates stayed put at state and federal prisons while the city lost its water supply for about a week. Full Story
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Two more Houston-area prisons have been evacuated as flooding continues, bringing the total to five prisons and almost 6,000 inmates shipped off to drier facilities in the region. Full Story
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A federal judge signed off on Texas' proposal to temporarily move more than 1,000 inmates from one hot prison to 11 different facilities around the state. Full Story
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Texas submitted a court-ordered proposal Thursday to move about 1,000 medically sensitive inmates from an uncooled prison southeast of College Station to air-conditioned units elsewhere in the state. Full Story
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Eight doses of the state's supply of pentobarbital, the only drug used in Texas executions, expired on Thursday, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Full Story
Most Texas prisons remain un-air conditioned, but a federal judge's ruling Wednesday called conditions at one prison cruel and unusual and ordered temporary air conditioning for heat-sensitive inmates. Full Story
Texas rules barring sex offenders from using certain websites were thrown into jeopardy Monday morning after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a similar statute in North Carolina violates the First Amendment. Full Story
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Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration officially blocked Texas' attempted import of execution drugs. Now, Texas is fighting back in court. Full Story
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With lethal injection drugs in short supply across the nation and increasing secrecy about providers, The Texas Tribune is keeping track of movement in the state’s supply. Full Story
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a final ruling Thursday evening banning Texas' attempted import of an execution drug from overseas. Full Story
Two days before death row inmate John Ramirez was scheduled to be executed, a federal district court in Corpus Christi halted the execution. Full Story
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Texas lawmakers are likely to take a close look this legislative session at how law enforcement and civilians interact with each other. Full Story
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More than a year after the feds blocked Texas from importing an execution drug, Texas filed a lawsuit demanding a final decision on whether the drugs can be delivered. Full Story
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