The latest criminal justice news from The Texas Tribune.
On Wednesday, Michael Morton sat down with the Tribune to talk about the pain and anger the court of inquiry for Ken Anderson is bringing up for him and his hopes for accountability in the wake of his wrongful conviction. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/videos/Morton-Close.jpg)
Exoneree Michael Morton says the sometimes painful court process examining his wrongful conviction is part of a journey he is on to find accountability and promote reform in the criminal justice system. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/02/06/txtrib-AndersonCourt-CCR001A.jpg)
The family of Gregory Cheek has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the Nueces County Jail, saying Cheek should have been transferred from the jail to a mental health facility. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/e6192f23e25477079043e3d2444b00d6/.BD%20Jail)
State Rep. Jason Villalba, R-Dallas, has filed a bill that would allow Texas schools to appoint "school marshals" — employees who could carry guns in an effort to protect students from violence. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/GunsInsSchools-2.jpg)
Judge Doug Arnold, a former Williamson County assistant district attorney who worked for Ken Anderson and for former district attorney John Bradley, testifies Wednesday about the Michael Morton case as the court of inquiry resumes. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/02/04/Pool-TXA-Court.jpg)
On Monday night's edition of Piers Morgan Tonight, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott spoke out against both background checks for personal gun sales and a ban on high-capacity magazines. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/02/05/AbbottCNN.jpg)
State Sen. John Whitmire has filed a bill to make it easier for those convicted based on science that has since been discredited to appeal their sentences. Prosecutors have called such legislation unnecessary. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Whitmire-CJ-Hearing-Solitary.jpg)
CNN host Piers Morgan, who has been fiercely critical of U.S. gun laws since the elementary school killings in Connecticut, is bringing his show to Texas on Monday to debate gun policy. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/GunOnTexasMap.jpg)
Williamson County State District Judge Ken Anderson faces a court of inquiry, starting Monday, that will determine whether he should face charges over a wrongful murder conviction. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/02/01/Anderson.jpg)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents seized about 1.7 million pounds of narcotics in Texas in fiscal 2012, about 270,000 pounds more than their counterparts in Arizona, New Mexico and California combined. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/CBP-Drug-Inspection.jpg)
Texas prisons are running low on hygiene products that are not considered necessities for inmates, including toothpaste and deodorant. Family members and inmates are frustrated as state officials try to find a contractor. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/PrisonDeodorant-OutOfStock3.jpg)
At a briefing Tuesday, lawmakers and relatives of people killed while texting and driving renewed a push to make the practice illegal. A proposal passed during the last session but was vetoed by Gov. Rick Perry. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/TxTrib-TextDriveHearing001.JPG)
The Texas Association of Business, the state's largest business lobby, is adding criminal justice reform to its agenda for the first time. The association says reducing the prison population and increasing the workforce makes business sense. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Jail-Prison-Bars-1.jpg)
The Innocence Project of Texas told the state Forensic Science Commission on Friday that its investigation of old arson convictions for possible wrongful convictions has raised serious concerns in only a handful of cases. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Fire.jpg)
Civil rights, human rights and criminal justice groups on Thursday sent a letter to lawmakers urging them to close a privately run state jail in downtown Dallas. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Jail-Prison-Bars-2.jpg)
Resuscitating the 2011 redistricting battle, two lawmakers have filed bills requiring the state to count prisoners at their last home address rather than where they are incarcerated. They say it cheats urban districts out of representatives. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/prisoners_CM.jpg)
Some Mexican and American officials hope that the gun control debate might spur laws that curb the flow of illegal weapons over the United States' southern border. But others say that changing gun laws in the U.S. would not change gun behavior in Mexico. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/no-guns-.jpg)
Roughly a thousand Texans flooded the Capitol grounds on Saturday to rally against a renewed national push for gun control legislation and to criticize President Obama for signing gun-related executive orders. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013_01_18_GunAcrossAmerica_Tx_MG_7578.jpg)
As lawmakers try to trim the budget for health care for prison inmates, one bill aims to cut costs by re-examining a program that releases inmates deemed the oldest, sickest and most expensive. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/DSC_6244.jpg)
At least 20 bills have been filed or proposed by Texas lawmakers on the subject of guns, with most of the legislation aiming to widen access to guns. Here's a roundup of the proposals. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/HandGunRestingOnWhite.jpg)