County juvenile probation agencies produce better results for less money than state youth lockups, according to a report by the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition. The report also says counties need more funds and oversight.
Courts
Stay up to date on Texas courts with in-depth coverage of major rulings, judicial elections, criminal justice, and the judges shaping state law from The Texas Tribune.
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Criminal Justice
Richards Sets a Politically Fateful Course on Guns
In this excerpt from Jan Reid’s Let the People In: The Life and Times of Ann Richards, the author looks at events that sharpened Texans’ desire for more liberal gun laws and put them at odds with their governor.
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Criminal Justice
Gun-Printing Project Catches Eye of Law Enforcement
A group of civil libertarians led by a University of Texas law student wants to teach people how to use 3-D printing technologies to make their own guns at home. But the buzzed-about project has drawn the attention of federal law enforcement.
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Criminal Justice
“Innocence Commission” Bill Poised to Return but Faces Uphill Climb
State Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon plans to revive her efforts to create an “innocence commission” to look into old cases of wrongful convictions. But she acknowledges that the legislation faces a difficult challenge.
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Criminal Justice
Death Penalty Expert Witness Condemned by Appeals Court Rulings
Prison investigator A.P. Merillat’s court testimony about the violence inmates serving life sentences can inflict has helped send at least 15 murderers to death row. Now, his credibility has been condemned by the state’s highest criminal court.
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Criminal Justice
Updated: Supreme Court Denies Stay; Foster to Be Executed
The U.S. Supreme Court denied death row inmate Cleve Foster’s fourth request for a stay his execution, which is scheduled for Tuesday evening.
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Criminal Justice
Kimbrough Leaving Youth Agency, Returning to DPS
Texas Juvenile Justice Department spokesman Jim Hurley said Jay Kimbrough, who served as interim leader of the agency from May until this month, will be returning to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
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Criminal Justice
Wainwright to Resign From Texas Supreme Court
Texas Supreme Court Justice Dale Wainwright is resigning at the end of the month to join an Austin law firm, the court announced Wednesday.
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Criminal Justice
Questions About Old Blood May Have Implications for DNA
Harris County says it is running out of room to store blood in closed investigations. The district attorney is asking the attorney general to allow courts to order the destruction of old evidence. Some worry that could set a dangerous precedent.
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Criminal Justice
Dem Judge Candidate Seeking GOP Votes
Democrat Keith Hampton is focusing his campaign to lead the state’s top criminal court on winning over Republicans. That is the key, he says, to defeating controversial long-time Judge Sharon Keller.