The latest criminal justice news from The Texas Tribune.
The governor's executive orders after shootings in El Paso and West Texas are meant to address gun violence without gun control. But a Department of Public Safety network he tapped says it needs more resources — and is remaining mum on how it operates. Full Story
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Community members can report a potential threat to iWatchTexas via an app, online or over the phone. The resource launched last year, shortly after the shooting at Santa Fe High School. Full Story
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Sparks was convicted in the 2007 stabbing deaths of his family members in his Dallas home. His lawyers sought to stop his execution with arguments of intellectual disability and a jury tainted by a bailiff wearing a syringe tie. Full Story
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The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals issued a stay in Barbee's case. He was scheduled to be executed Oct. 2. Full Story
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Watch a conversation with El Paso Mayor Dee Margo and Dayton, Ohio, Mayor Nan Whaley as they talked about an unbearably tragic weekend and a remarkably resilient aftermath. Full Story
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A new law increased the punishment for failing to stop and render aid to match the sentence for DWI manslaughter. The goal is to deter drunken drivers from leaving the scene of an accident. Full Story
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For his latest policy proposal, the Democratic presidential candidate returns to a cause he has championed since his days on the El Paso City Council. Full Story
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Her lawyers say if her sentence stands, it could discourage low-information voters from going to the polls at all. Full Story
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Wilson pleaded guilty to injury of a child and will be required to register as a sex offender. Full Story
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Galveston County, like Harris and Dallas, was sued for bail practices that lawyers and judges have said discriminate against poor criminal defendants. Full Story
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Texas Department of Criminal Justice Executive Director Bryan Collier was questioned in court for about two hours for not complying with a court order to keep some Texas prisoners in air conditioned housing. Full Story
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Soliz and another man were convicted in the shooting death of a Johnson County woman during a robbery in her home. His lawyers pushed to stop his execution, saying fetal alcohol spectrum disorder should be treated like an intellectual disability. Full Story
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A federal judge was visibly frustrated Friday as he suggested that putting state officials in uncooled cells might be the only way to get their attention after they broke a settlement agreement to keep some inmates in air conditioning. Full Story
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Lawyers for Randy Halprin, a member of the "Texas Seven," are requesting a stay of his execution amid allegations that the judge who handled his case made racist and anti-Semitic comments during his time on the bench. Full Story
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In a motion Thursday, the prisoners' lawyers asked the judge to hold prison officials in contempt and issue fines. They also accused the agency of hiding multiple instances of noncompliance with the court order. Full Story
Crutsinger had pushed to stop his execution based on claims of bad lawyering during his trial and in the appellate process. Full Story
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David Turner says residents are still in shock. He’s unsure of the solution but is troubled that the gunman was able to obtain a firearm even after failing a background check. Full Story
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The governor tweeted Monday night that Texas is “working on a legislative package” and that “expedited executions for mass murderers would be a nice addition.” Full Story
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Abbott's tweet doesn't reveal the reason the Odessa man failed the background check or how he obtained the gun used in the mass shooting. Police say the gunman and his company both called 911 shortly before the rampage. Full Story
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Rep. Matt Schaefer, R-Tyler, has received a wave of reactions — and criticism — following his tweets reacting to Saturday's Permian Basin shooting. Full Story
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