Study Links Prison Reform Cost to Decreased Welfare Funds
A recent study of states that implemented court-ordered prison reforms indicates that the cost of updating the lock-ups may cause lasting welfare program cuts. Full Story
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After Facing Prostitution Charges, Inmates Get Help in Starting Over
Twenty women at the Harris County Jail are working to ensure that they won't fall back into prostitution when they finish their sentences. A specialized program is helping them gain the tools to do just that. Full Story
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![Kathryn Griffin leads the "We've Been There Done That" prostitute rehabilitation program for selected inmates at Harris County Jail.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond -
Video: Prostitution Diversion Program Helps Inmates Start Over
Through a program at the Harris County Jail, 20 women are working to avoid returning to a life of prostitution. The program is led by a woman who knows only too well the struggles they face. Full Story
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Credit: Callie Richmond -
Justice Department Seeks to Restore Voting Law Restrictions on Texas
The U.S. Justice Department will seek to once more require that a federal court approve Texas’ controversial voter ID law, despite a Supreme Court ruling that such a practice is outdated. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
TJJD Weighs Closing Mental Health Unit, Halfway Houses
The Texas Juvenile Justice Department is considering closing the Corsicana Residential Treatment Center and two halfway houses after a state budget rider cut funds for the agency's secure facilities. Full Story
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![Despite the statewide decrease in staff-on-youth assaults at juvenile correctional facilities, the rate of youth-on-youth assaults has increased following the 2007 legislative reforms.]()
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Former Legislator Criticizes Treatment During Traffic Stop
Former state Rep. Aaron Peña says he was "treated like a drug dealer" during a recent traffic stop in the South Texas city of Robstown. A Robstown police spokesman said that officers followed the law during the traffic stop. Full Story
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T-Squared: Why We Unpublished Our Prisoner Database
You may have noticed that one of our more popular databases, the Texas Prison Inmates database, was disabled last week. We want to explain why we did it and when we expect to relaunch the database. Full Story
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Garden-Fresh Produce for Needy, Thanks to Inmates
On a four-acre garden in Smith County, inmates from the local jail tend crops that provide thousands of pounds of fresh food for the poor in 26 counties. It's one of several programs that put inmates to work for the community. Full Story
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![A sheriff's deputy keeps watch while inmates from the Smith County Jail tend a garden in Tyler on July 12, 2013.]()
Credit: Cooper Neill -
Interactive: Abbott vs. the Federal Government
Led by Attorney General Greg Abbott, Texas has fought the federal government for control over various issues, including environmental regulation and oversight of voting laws. Use this interactive to look at the current legal battles. Full Story
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Zetas Leader Captured in Nuevo León
UPDATED: Authorities confirmed Miguel Treviño Morales was captured at 3:45 a.m. local time in the municipality of Anáhuac, Nuevo León, and not in Nuevo Laredo, as originally reported. Full Story
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![Leader of the Zetas drug cartel Miguel Treviño Morales, also known as "40."]()
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Combs: 2006 Study Will Not Be Revisited
State Comptroller Susan Combs says her office doesn't have the resources to update a 2006 study of the economic impact of Texas' undocumented immigrant population. Full Story
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![Texas Comptroller Susan Combs on Feb. 7, 2013.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
DPS Officers Fire Rounds, Launch Tear Gas Across Border
In separate instances on Thursday, Texas Department of Public Safety officers came under gunfire from the Mexican side of the Rio Grande and launched tear gas south into the country. Full Story
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![Texas DPS agent Cuevas removes a M2-40 machine gun from newly commissioned patrol vessel. The boat, part of the Tactical Marine Unit, funded by federal Homeland Security grants, will help with the state's efforts in combating Mexican drug cartels patrolling the Rio Grande River]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Mexican City Weighs Neglected Notion: Hope
Three years after a municipal election was held under the specter of fear and death in this border city, voters on Sunday ushered in a new leader in Ciudad Juárez. But a new administration and a new peace can only go so far. Full Story
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![Ignacio Villa, left, and Arturo Ibarra, right, of the mariachi group Los Gavilanes receive shoe shines on Avenida Juárez in Ciudad Juárez, México, Jul. 9, 2013.]()
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House OKs Life With Parole for Juvenile Murderers
UPDATED: Seventeen-year-olds convicted of capital murder could soon be subject to a mandatory sentence of life with parole eligiblity after 40 years under a bill lawmakers approved on Thursday. Full Story
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![State Sens. Robert Nichols and Joan Huffman.]()
Credit: graphic by: Todd Wiseman -
U.S. House Leaders Reject Senate Immigration Bill
Republican leaders in the U.S. House have publicly rejected the U.S. Senate's comprehensive immigration reform bill, calling it a rushed-through measure with too many flaws and not enough security guarantees. Full Story
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Immigration Measure's Impact on Asylum Seekers is Focus of Concerns
As the debate on immigration reform advances, immigration attorneys fear that an emphasis on strict border enforcement will make an already difficult task more strenuous for asylum seekers. Full Story
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![Christian Chaidez, 30, was granted by an immigration judge a withholding of removal after applying for asylum. Ten of his family members were murdered in Ciudad Juárez for refusing to pay extortion to criminal gangs.]()
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From the Tea Party, a Softer Line in Criminal Justice Discussions
Michael Morton’s ubiquitous presence and lobbying spurred lawmakers to tackle criminal justice reforms. But the increased presence of Tea Party Republicans also changed the Legislature’s attitude toward law and order. Full Story
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Young Murderers Await Legislature's Decision
Scottie Forcey is one of 23 convicted Texas murderers who could get the chance to be parole eligible after serving 40 years in prison as legislators work to comply with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling. Full Story
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![Scottie Louis Forcey, 21, photographed at the Barry B. Telford Unit in New Boston, Texas on July 2, 2013. Forcey is serving a life sentence without parole for a murder committed when he was 16.]()
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Abbott: State Has No Obligation to Aid TWIA Financially
In an opinion issued this week, Attorney General Greg Abbott says the state is under no legal obligation to help cover any potential shortfall faced by the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association. Full Story
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Transportation, Criminal Justice Bills Headed to Full Senate
The Senate could vote as early as next week on transportation funding and criminal justice measures that died in the first special session. Those measures were quickly approved Tuesday by two Senate committees. Full Story
![State Sens. Robert Nichols and Joan Huffman.]()
Credit: graphic by: Todd Wiseman
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