The latest criminal justice news from The Texas Tribune.
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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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On last night's edition of On the Record w/ Greta Van Susteren, U.S. Rep. Steve Stockman, R-Friendswood, repeated his calls for the possible impeachment of Barack Obama if the president pushes for gun control legislation. Full Story
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Kerry Max Cook, who spent two decades on death row for a 1977 murder, says the prosecutor in Smith County is fighting dirty in his mission to stymie the ex-inmate's efforts to prove his innocence. Full Story
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Law enforcement is working to make sure lawmakers know an investment in mental health services is an investment in public safety. Full Story
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A new report by the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition says that rather than throwing drug addicts in jail, the state should invest more money in substance abuse treatment, which it says could save millions of dollars and improve public safety. Full Story
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Death row inmate Max Soffar says his 1980 murder confession was coerced. As his lawyers say his case highlights a broader debate about false confessions, police and prosecutors say he told them details only the killer would know. Full Story
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Prosecutorial misconduct, the politics of immigration and continuing bloodshed in the Mexican drug war dominated Tribune headlines in 2012. Here's a look back at the crime, immigration and border stories of the year. Full Story
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For this week's nonscientific survey of insiders in politics and government, we returned to the subject of gun laws, asking the same set of questions posed after July's theater shooting in Colorado. After Connecticut's schoolhouse shooting, the answers have changed. Full Story
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Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, unveiled their school choice legislation, without many financial details and hardly a word about vouchers. And last week's schoolhouse shootings in Connecticut prompted Texas legislators to propose changes in the state's gun laws. Full Story
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Texas is a gun state, more likely to expand gun rights after a mass killing than to restrict them. While there are proposals to buy back guns or restrict sales, Texas leaders are pushing to allow guns in more places. Full Story
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State Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, a former prosecutor and judge, has filed a bill that would allow prosecutors to include accusations by other victims in child sexual assault cases. Defense attorneys worry it would lead to wrongful convictions. Full Story
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On this morning's edition of Fox News Sunday, U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Tyler, rejected calls for stricter gun laws following Friday's tragic school shooting in Connecticut. Full Story
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State Rep. Richard Peña Raymond has filed a bill to abolish the Court of Criminal Appeals and bring all of its related cases under the Texas Supreme Court. He's triggering a debate that goes all the way back to Reconstruction. Full Story
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Mirroring a national trend, death sentences in Texas have declined over the last decade. Death sentences have fallen 75 percent since 2002, according to a new report. And the Texas death row population is the lowest in more than 20 years. Full Story
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