Criminal justice

Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday announced a sweeping proposal aimed at better protecting people from human trafficking as well as tackling sexual misconduct allegations at the Texas Capitol and throughout state government.

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Inmates at the Pack Unit prison outside College Station argued in federal court that they should be housed in a maximum of 88 degrees. On Friday, the state agreed to bring air conditioning to the facility.

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Across Texas, kids are getting into less trouble with the law even though the state population is exploding. So why is Harris County's juvenile detention center bursting at the seams? 

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Texas filed suit in 2013 over an Obama-era policy aimed at making it easier for convicted criminals to find work. In 2012, the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission advised employers to use criminal background checks during job screenings only when job-related or necessary for the business.

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Four former and current Texas Juvenile Justice Department employees were arrested Thursday as part of a Texas Rangers investigation into alleged misconduct at state-run youth lockups. Another suspect remains at large. 

 

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The network backed by the billionaire industrialist brothers Charles and David Koch is investing millions to research how to help former prisoners successfully re-enter society in Texas and three other states.

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The Dallas man who killed his two daughters in 2001 was executed Thursday night. It was the third execution in Texas and the nation this year.

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Gov. Greg Abbott has made his latest move in shaking up leadership at the scandal-plagued Texas Juvenile Justice Department.

 

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Gov. Greg Abbott has asked the Texas Rangers to investigate misconduct allegations at the famed Karolyi Ranch, the Texas training facility where Larry Nassar treated athletes.

 

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William Rayford, a 64-year-old death row inmate convicted in the 1999 murder of his ex-girlfriend, was put to death Tuesday night in the second execution of the year in Texas and the nation.

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Gov. Greg Abbott has replaced the board chairman of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department. The governor has played a key role in an agency shake-up amid a sexual abuse scandal and staffing shortages.

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With no experience working directly with incarcerated kids, Camille Cain is an unconventional choice to be the new director of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department. But experts hope she'll be well-suited to handle problems like staffing shortages and a sexual abuse scandal. 

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The bail reform fight has made its way to Dallas County, where poor inmates sued officials over the claim that the county's money bail system discriminates against them.

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A year ago, President Trump commanded that immigration judges from across the country should be rushed to detention centers along the border. At an improvised court in Laredo, there were many signs of disarray.

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Democratic gubernatorial candidate Lupe Valdez sat down Thursday with Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith for her most in-depth interview since entering the race in early December. 

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State Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio, a two-decade veteran of the Texas Legislature, is heading to trial in a criminal fraud case.

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The first execution of 2018 in Texas and the nation took place Thursday evening for Houston’s “Tourniquet Killer.” It was the first execution under Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, a Democrat who oversaw the first year in more than 30 without an execution in the county.

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Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew White on Thursday called for the abolishment of the death penalty.

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The Texas Department of Public Safety is feeling the heat over a budget-related decision to lay off 117 officers serving in a retire/rehire program.

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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Wednesday asked Attorney General Ken Paxton to look into a December human smuggling case in San Antonio. Patrick wants to know if how the chief of the San Antonio Police Department handled the case violated Texas' immigration enforcement law.

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