The latest criminal justice news from The Texas Tribune.
At an El Paso town hall organized to gauge public input on Syria, some residents said Tuesday that it was in the United States' interest to act though more information was needed. But most who spoke were opposed to any intervention. Full Story
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Parties in a disciplinary case against the prosecutor who pursued Michael Morton’s since-overturned murder conviction will have to wait another week for a decision on whether they will go to trial. Full Story
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Lawyers for Hank Skinner say new DNA tests show someone else likely committed the crime for which he was convicted and sentenced to death. But state prosecutors argue the tests show even more links between Skinner and the three victims. Full Story
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At the Trib's August 19 symposium on mental health at the University of Texas at San Antonio, Brandi Grissom talked about the intersection of mental health and criminal justice with a distinguished panel. Full Story
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Offenses like using profanity and fighting have led some Texas public school students to the courtroom. Under a new law, school police officers will not be allowed to charge students for such offenses. This story is part of our 31 Days, 31 Ways series. Full Story
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For decades, weapons confiscated by Texas police were supposed to be repurposed for law enforcement use or destroyed. Starting next month, some will be available for purchase. This story is part of our 31 Days, 31 Ways series. Full Story
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The U.S. Department of Justice will once again seek to stop Texas’ voter ID law, this time in a lawsuit alleging the measure violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. It will also challenge state redistricting maps. Full Story
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The Texas Tribune's prison inmates database, containing more than 147,000 offenders who have committed roughly 440,000 combined crimes, is now updated with the latest data available from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Full Story
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It's not surprising that the political class hasn't rallied to one side or the other on the debate over NSA surveillance; the public is sending oblique messages to its elected officials. Full Story
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Texas has led the way in criminal justice reforms, but advocates say there’s more to do. They’re hoping that federal action to reform sentencing laws will provide momentum for further changes here. Full Story
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Lawmakers this year approved a bill requiring DNA testing in death penalty cases. Some prosecutors worry more testing could simply delay a guilty defendant’s inevitable conviction. This story is part of our 31 Days, 31 Ways series. Full Story
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All Texas hospitals with emergency rooms will soon be required to have staff trained in at least basic collection of forensic evidence from sexual assault victims. This story is part of our monthlong 31 Days, 31 Ways series. Full Story
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The U.S. consul general in Ciudad Juárez on whether the war in Juárez is over, what the U.S. is doing to help and what the next few months in the border city will be like leading up to the shift in power from one administration to another. Full Story
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U.S. officials on Friday called infamous drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero's release from a Mexican prison deeply troubling, and said they would continue to seek justice over his connection to the 1985 slaying of a DEA agent. Full Story
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Failing to stop and render aid in a fatal accident will become a second-degree felony, increasing the punishment to up to 20 years in prison. The new law will make the punishment for a fatal hit-and-run accident equivalent to that for intoxicated manslaughter. Full Story
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Lawmakers have increased the Commission on State Emergency Services' budget by 33 percent. That will help update its 911 system, which serves 224 of Texas' 254 counties. This story is part of our 31 Days, 31 Ways series. Full Story
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A federal appeals court will hear arguments Thursday in a lawsuit over whooping cranes that could have major implications for Texas water supplies and for natural resource planning across the United States. Full Story
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For only the second time in the state’s history, Texas lawmakers are closing inmate facilities to reduce bed capacity as the state’s prison population continues to drop. Full Story
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The Travis County district attorney’s office’s Public Integrity Unit is reviewing evidence that suggests a state lawmaker illegally released an inmate’s disciplinary file to a victims’ rights advocate in an effort to prevent a high-profile convicted murderer’s release from prison. Full Story
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A new constraint on proxy marriage in Texas — a measure intended to prevent fraud — will have a secondary effect: It will end prison inmates' ability to tie the knot. This story is part of our month-long 31 Days, 31 Ways series. Full Story
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