New program moves women from prison to life
Before they can earn their freedom, about 40 Texas prisoners will be the first to complete a six-month program that focuses on decision-making and life skills. Full Story
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![The Texas Department of Criminal Justice recently launched a 6-month program that helps women at the Marlin Transfer Facility with treatment and life skills training right before they go back into society. During a recent class, Irvanette Lofton teaches inmates about budgeting and finding a job.]()
Credit: Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune -
Waco man's death sentence, conviction thrown out over seizure of texts
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals threw out the conviction and death sentence of a Waco man Friday after ruling that the trial court's admission of text messages was unconstitutional because they were seized without a warrant. Full Story
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![Albert Love]()
Credit: TDCJ -
Immigration detention centers will continue operating despite judge's ruling
Two immigration detention centers in Texas will continue their day-to-day operations despite a Travis County judge’s ruling last week that denied the facilities state licenses. Full Story
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![Group gathered from all around Texas and marched to the Governor's Mansion to show their support fro DACA and DAPA]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Greg Abbott appoints new Dallas County district attorney
Republican Faith Johnson, a former state district court judge, will finish the term of Dallas District Attorney Susan Hawk, who resigned in September after taking medical leaves to treat depression and mood disorder. Full Story
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![Faith Johnson, newly named district attorney for Dallas County.]()
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Revised screening, vigilance lead to drop in Texas jail suicides
Texas county jails have seen an almost 60 percent decrease in suicides from last year. Full Story
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Credit: Neil Conway -
Execution halted again for Dallas man who killed his daughters
John Battaglia shot and killed his two young daughters in 2001. He now has another chance to prove he is mentally incompetent to be executed. Full Story
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![John Battaglia and his two daughters, Liberty (left) and Faith, who he murdered on May 1, 2001.]()
Credit: Dallas County Court files -
Lawmakers hope to enact port-staffing bill before Trump takes over
The race is on for Texas lawmakers to pass legislation to beef up staffing and improve facilities at the country's land ports while President Obama is still around to sign it. Full Story
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Waller County wins fight to keep courthouse gun ban. Maybe.
A district court judge in Waller County says it can ban guns at its courthouse, but Attorney General Ken Paxton is trying to convince another court in Travis County to disagree. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton during a May 25, 2016, press conference.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Justices debate definition of intellectual disability in Texas death row case
The U.S. Supreme Court appeared fairly split among party lines in Texas’ latest death penalty case, which focuses on how to define intellectual disability among death row inmates. Full Story
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![The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the case of Bobby Moore, a man who has been on death row since 1980, in March 2017.]()
Credit: TDCJ/AbbyLivingston -
Abbott: Campus carry could have prevented Ohio State attack
Commenting on the knife attack at Ohio State University that left 11 people injured, Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday that someone would "think twice" about carrying out such an attack in Texas due to its campus carry law. Full Story
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![Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during a Rotary Club of San Antonio luncheon on March 23, 2016.]()
Credit: Darren Abate -
Is Ciudad Juárez on the brink of a new gang war?
October was the deadliest month in Ciudad Juárez in nearly three years. Locals are anxious — and hopeful they're not witnessing a resurgence of the brutal drug war that plagued this Mexican border city from 2008 to 2011. Full Story
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![A municipal police officer at a crime scene in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. The municipal police force was recently "purged" under the new chief of police Julien Leyzaola.]()
Credit: Katie Orlinsky for the New York Times -
Lawmaker wants to crack down on illegal hiring by state contractors
A measure filed Monday by state Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, would beef up punishment for employers that hire undocumented workers and seek to do business with the state. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
U.S. Supreme Court to hear Texas death penalty challenge
On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments regarding intellectual disability and executions in Moore v. Texas. Full Story
![The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the case of Bobby Moore, a man who has been on death row since 1980, in March 2017.]()
Credit: TDCJ/AbbyLivingston -
Campus carry outrage is ebbing, and schools want lawmakers to leave it be
Some lawmakers will try to tweak Texas' campus carry law in 2017, but many schools — including the University of Texas System — would just as soon not revisit the controversial law. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
"San Antonio Four" declared innocent, exonerated
The four women were sent to prison in the late 1990s on charges of sexually assaulting two young girls. Full Story
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![Cassandra Rivera is one of four San Antonio women convicted of sexual assault of a child in the late 1990's. She was exonerated in late 2016 after defense lawyers proved her innocence.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa -
Texas judge blocks overtime rule challenged by Paxton, others
A federal judge in Sherman has blocked a White House effort to make millions more workers eligible for overtime pay, handing a victory to Texas and 20 other states that had challenged the new Labor Department rule. Full Story
![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton during a May 25, 2016, press conference.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Laredo mayor, city manager congratulate Trump, ask for meeting
A week after acknowledging some of his constituents are anxious and perplexed over the election of Donald Trump, the mayor of Laredo has sent a congratulatory note to the president-elect. Full Story
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![Donald Trump responds to a reporters question at the World Trade Bridge. Scott Ball.]()
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Many border drug smugglers avoid prison
In two key counties, less than a quarter of the “high-threat criminals” arrested by Department of Public Safety troopers for felony drug offenses during the state’s border surge have been sent to prison. Full Story
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![A DPS trooper spots a motorist along Highway 83 in Starr County.]()
Credit: KXAN Investigates -
At "Day with Dad" prison event, leaping hugs and difficult discussions
Dads in a maximum-security lockup in Brazoria County hold on to hope by holding on to their kids. Full Story
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![John Green reunites with his son in the middle of the Darrington Unit gym at the start of the Day with Dad program, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016. Children and the 29 participating inmates ran into each other's arms to kick off the day of activities.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
Tell us how Donald Trump's deportation plans impact you or your community
How do you think Donald Trump's election — and his proposed immigration and deportation policies — will affect you or undocumented people where you live? Full Story
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![Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks to the crowd during a rally in Austin on Aug. 23, 2016.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera
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