A bill aiming to detach the ombudsman from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice died in 2017. But news from the past year makes advocates hopeful that 2019 will be different.
Texas Department Of Criminal Justice
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Criminal Justice
Texas executes Robert Moreno Ramos, amid pleas for case review
Lawyers for Ramos had argued that he wasn’t aware of his rights under an international treaty, and therefore didn’t receive proper legal counsel during his trial and sentencing.
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Criminal Justice
Texas Supreme Court reverses course, will hear case over whether state can keep execution drug supplier secret
The court will hold oral arguments on whether to name a past supplier of the execution drug in January.
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Criminal Justice
A Texas prison guard has been charged in an assault connected to an inmate’s death
The 22-year-old officer allegedly assaulted the inmate, who died from his injuries nearly two weeks later.
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Criminal Justice
Texas spent $7 million to fight against A/C in a prison. It may only cost $4 million to install.
At a Capitol hearing, the Texas prison system’s director said exceptions in construction requirements allowed for the cost decrease.
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Criminal Justice
Texas must reveal where it got execution drugs, the Texas Supreme Court affirms
The move from the Texas Supreme Court comes more than a year after an Austin-based appeals court said the agency must reveal a 2014 supplier of lethal injection drugs.
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Criminal Justice
“You’re not as safe as you should be.” How understaffing is affecting one Texas prison
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.
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Graphics and data reporting
Here’s an updated look at how many execution drugs Texas has in stock
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.
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Criminal Justice
Texas prison system stalls release of public information on executions
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.
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Criminal Justice
Relatives report inadequate heating at more than 30 Texas prisons
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.”
