State Sen. John Whitmire said Thursday afternoon he believes the gun used in the predawn shooting of his Houston area-office was likely an AR-15 assault rifle. He said it’s too early to speculate about a motive or possible suspect.
John Whitmire
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Analysis: Legislators Seeking a More Efficient Approach to Jail Policies
The “lock-them-up-and-throw-away-the-key” crowd has given way to another wave — across party lines, by the way — that’s trying to rework everything from whom police take to jail to who remains there overnight.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Sandra Bland, Jail Standards Top Criminal Justice News in 2015
In 2015, Sandra Bland’s death jolted a conversation about inmate safety and mental health, while high-profile murder cases continued and Texas was criticized for the lengths it reportedly went through to find execution drugs for death row inmates.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Sandra Bland Grand Jury Judge Faults New Selection System
A Waller County judge who helped choose grand jurors to consider the evidence in the death of Sandra Bland is not happy about the state’s new grand jury selection process, saying it unfairly puts too much of the selection process on judges.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Scrutiny Follows Bland, Deputy Deaths
In the coming days, the deaths of Sandra Bland and Harris County Deputy Darren Goforth will continue to jolt statewide conversations about how the Texas criminal justice system deals with — or fails to deal with — mental health issues.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Roundup: Paxton Re-Indicted, Jail Safety, Sid Miller
In the Roundup: Attorney General Ken Paxton is re-indicted on securities fraud charges, an interim legislative committee will look at jail safety and a post from the agriculture commissioner’s campaign Facebook page blows up social media.
Posted inState Government
Interim Committee to Take a Closer Look at Jail Safety
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and state Sen. John Whitmire on Tuesday announced the creation of an interim jail safety study committee following concerns in the wake of the hanging death of Sandra Bland and the deaths of other jail inmates.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Inmate Beard Policy Will Not Cost Taxpayers Extra
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice said last week that its new beard policy for inmates would cost taxpayers $500,000. Now, the agency says there will actually be no cost to taxpayers.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TDCJ Correctional Officer Beaten With “Pry Tool”
A Texas correctional officer killed while escorting a prisoner to his cell was beaten to death with a two-foot pry bar, a tool guards carry to unlock the small meal tray openings in a cell door, the Tribune has confirmed.
Posted inState Government
The Brief: June 8, 2015
A McKinney police officer is on administrative leave after video of his actions to subdue a 15-year-old girl at a pool party Friday night received more than 1 million views online over the weekend.