The latest criminal justice news from The Texas Tribune.
Eliminating the lockbox requirement for school marshals was one of many suggestions Gov. Greg Abbott outlined for the Legislature in a 43-page plan released weeks after last year's deadly shooting at Santa Fe High School. Full Story
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The U.S. Supreme Court halted the execution of Patrick Murphy last week because he wasn't given access to a Buddhist chaplain. Now, no chaplains will be allowed in the death chamber. Full Story
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McLennan County District Attorney Barry Johnson said his office is dropping all charges in the 2015 shootout between biker gangs in Waco. Full Story
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Rep. Richard Raymond has introduced bills to get rid of the gambling machines for years. This time, he's trying a different approach. Full Story
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The House also signed off on a $9 billion supplemental budget that would withdraw $4.3 billion from the state savings account. Full Story
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An estimate to put air conditioning into one prison changed from more than $20 million to $4 million last year. Full Story
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There are now two sets of bail reform bills named after a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper who was murdered while the suspect was out of jail on a $15,500 bond after allegedly assaulting a sheriff’s deputy. Full Story
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Multiple bills filed this session aim to address deficiencies in women's prisons. Full Story
![Emily Fulbright at the Women's [In]Justice Day rally on the south steps of the capitol on Mar. 8, 2019.](https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/MCvqYC_kzwU_DLsyzq81SRirgKo=/850x570/smart/filters:quality(75)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/596cb4f29ebd0a0fc275e0cf4811f00d/05_Women_Prisons_March_MG.jpg)
University President Greg Fenves announced the firing in an email and said, "The integrity of UT admissions is essential to our mission as a research university and to the students and families we serve." Full Story
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After shrinking the population at state-run juvenile lockups, state Sen. John Whitmire wants to move the remaining youth at five facilities to one recently closed adult jail. Full Story
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The requirement was included in a budget amendment approved by a House subcommittee Wednesday. Full Story
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Brown was freed from nearly a decade on death row in 2015, but because he was never declared "actually innocent," he couldn't get compensation for wrongful imprisonment — until Friday. Full Story
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The repercussions Texans face for possessing small amounts of pot — something several states no longer consider criminal — can all depend on where in the state they live. Some lawmakers want an across-the-board relaxation of criminal charges. But stigma fuels lingering opposition. Full Story
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As the state put the 70-year-old to death, his son banged on the death chamber window. After an altercation with law enforcement, Coble's son and another relative were removed from the witness room and arrested. Full Story
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The ruling only pertains to a slice of the law, but open government advocates say the decision “removes a powerful disincentive” put in place to keep public officials from hiding public business. Full Story
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The chairs of two House committees signed on as joint authors of a bill that would set the method of determining if a capital murder defendant is intellectually disabled and therefore ineligible for execution. Full Story
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A recent in-custody death report said an inmate died from hyperthermia in July, but Texas prison officials said he was in an air-conditioned cell. Full Story
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This time, the majority of the justices said Moore has shown he is intellectually disabled. Full Story
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Billed as a consumer-protection effort, the proposal would allow approved individuals to serve as investment advisers without registering with the state board — a felony under Texas law that Ken Paxton was charged with in 2015. Full Story
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State jails were created to help low-level drug offenders get treatment. But they offer few rehabilitative services, and their inmates are more likely to reoffend. Full Story
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