As the state and Scott Panetti’s defense team battled over whether his execution should be halted last week, a four-page affidavit provided a tantalizing peek into the mental health care Texas has provided for the schizophrenic death row inmate.
Criminal Justice
Get the latest Texas Tribune coverage on criminal justice, including crime, courts, law enforcement, and reforms shaping the state’s justice system.
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Criminal Justice
Abbott Declines to Endorse Perry, Cruz for 2016 Run
Texas Attorney General and Gov.-Elect Greg Abbott on Sunday declined to throw his support behind any the Texas Republicans rumored to be considering a run for the White House in 2016.
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Criminal Justice
Texas Prisons Make Family Visits Easier
The Texas prison system is making it easier for family members to visit loved ones behind bars, hoping to strengthen social networks inmates need when they are released.
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Criminal Justice
Federal Appeals Court Stays Panetti’s Execution
The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday halted the execution of a Texas death row inmate with a history of schizophrenia, just hours before he was to be put to death in Huntsville.
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Criminal Justice
Homeland Security Secretary: New Border Measures Coming
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said on Tuesday that a new border security task force is coming to the U.S.-Mexico-border as part of President Obama’s executive action on immigration.
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Criminal Justice
Panetti Fate in Hands of Perry, Appeals Courts
The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles won’t recommend a reprieve for convicted killer Scott Panetti, leaving it up to Gov. Rick Perry to decide if he will delay Wednesday’s scheduled execution of the schizophrenic death row inmate.
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Criminal Justice
Years Late, New Border Rail Crossing Set to Open
After delays and bickering over who should pay for security measures, a new rail line connecting Mexico and the Rio Grande Valley is expected to open in February.
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Criminal Justice
GOP Judge on Texas’ Highest Criminal Court: I Oppose the Death Penalty
A Republican judge on Texas’ highest criminal court says he now opposes the death penalty.
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Criminal Justice
Court Declines to Stay Execution of Schizophrenic Inmate
UPDATED: Texas’ highest criminal court has again refused to halt schizophrenic death row inmate Scott Panetti’s looming execution.
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Criminal Justice
Crazy or Faking It? Panetti Case Highlights Lack of Sanity Standard
The fact that Scott Panetti is facing lethal injection on Dec. 3 despite a 30-year history of documented mental illness demonstrates that the ambiguities of the legal standard of “competency” he helped to define are far from resolved.
