The latest criminal justice news from The Texas Tribune.
The case of death row inmate Andre Thomas offers a lens through which to examine the effects of a long underfunded mental health system and raises important questions about how Texas punishes the mentally ill. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/02/19/TroubleInMind-2.jpg)
For the second consecutive year, seizures of methamphetamine in the Laredo customs district — the country’s busiest land port — climbed significantly. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/02/19/MexicoMeth.jpg)
Calling President Obama’s recent gun control initiatives “cynical” and “wrong,” U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz said on Tuesday that lawmakers “should focus our efforts on deterring and punishing violent criminals." Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/5d07f3a0258f53c55cb898c67a332614/BD%20INC%20Cruz%20Wide%202013)
Texas has paid 89 exonerees nearly $61 million since 1992, according to data from the Texas comptroller's office. Use this interactive to see how much money the state has paid to exonerated prisoners by fiscal year. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/02/18/Wrongful-Imprisonment-Dataapp.jpg)
A bill filed by state Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, on Monday would require prosecutors and defense lawyers in criminal cases to open their files to their opponents. It could have momentum in the wake of Michael Morton's exoneration. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/02/04/Pool-TXA-Court.jpg)
Harris County prosecutors will seek a new execution date on Monday for death row inmate Duane Buck. His defenders say race played a role in his death sentence. Prosecutors say courts have "thoroughly reviewed" and rejected his claims. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Duane_Buck.png)
Through a program operated by a Houston nonprofit, some Texas inmates who will soon be released get a chance to learn business skills and work on plans to start their own businesses. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/02/15/TxTrib-PEP002_1.JPG)
The Prison Entrepreneurship Program at the Cleveland Correctional Center trains selected inmates, who will soon be released, to design their own businesses. Here's a series of photographs from a recent class. Full Story
At Thursday's TribLive conversation, Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson — a passionate defender of the Second Amendment — explained his opposition to universal background checks, an assault weapons ban and other gun control measures. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/videos/PattersonJerry111CMS.jpg)
The Texas agriculture commissioner on his book and campaign to highlight what he sees as a crisis on the border, his opinions on which immigration policies work and which don't, and why Americans shouldn't believe it when they are told the border is secure. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/02/08/StaplesBorderBook.jpg)
An indignant and defensive Ken Anderson brought a dramatic end to a week of emotional testimony in the unusual court examination of whether he should face criminal charges for his 1987 prosecution of Michael Morton. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/02/04/POOL-TXAUS108-ANDERSON-INQUIRY.jpg)
A day of legal theater in the Ken Anderson court of inquiry ended with a reversal-of-course by John Bradley. The firebrand ex-prosecutor backed away from previous damning statements he made about his former boss. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/02/06/txtrib-AndersonCourt-CCR002.jpg)
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
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)