After a Round Rock school police officer used a Taser to stop a fight Monday, some Texas youth advocates are urging Gov. Rick Perry to ban Tasers and pepper spray in public schools.
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
Despite Changes, Driver Surcharge Program Faces Continued Opposition
UPDATED: Lawmakers are unlikely to abolish the Driver Responsibility Program next year, but at a hearing Monday, they encouraged critics of it to submit recommendations for reform.
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Criminal Justice
Judge Denies Homeowners’ Efforts to Halt Orthodox Worship
A judge has denied an injunction a Plano homeowners association sought to stop orthodox Jews from walking through the neighborhood to attend in-home religious ceremonies.
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Criminal Justice
After Ex-Mayor’s Death, Silence and Suspicion in Nuevo Laredo
Many residents of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, have reacted with silence to the death of a former mayor, who was allegedly kidnapped. It’s yet another signal that while violence has ebbed in the city, a climate of fear still exists.
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Criminal Justice
After Rise in Foster Care Deaths, DFPS Approves New Regulations
The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services approved a set of new regulations Friday that are meant to provide more protection for foster children.
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Criminal Justice
The Polling Center: Texans Aim for Self-Defense in Gun Control Debate
To the extent that Wednesday’s Fort Hood shooting prompts a renewed discussion of guns in Texas, discussion will almost certainly be dominated by talk of increasing access to guns, not curtailing it.
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Criminal Justice
Special Prosecutor: Perry’s Veto of Integrity Unit Funds “Concerning”
A special prosecutor, who is investigating whether Gov. Rick Perry abused his authority when he eliminated state funding of the Texas public integrity unit, told the Austin American-Statesman and KVUE that what he’s found so far is “concerning.”
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Criminal Justice
Inmate Executed After High Court Declines Drug Challenge
UPDATED: Tommy Lynn Sells was executed Thursday evening, the Associated Press reported, after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up his case challenging the state’s denial of information about the drugs to be used in his execution.
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Criminal Justice
Willingham Won’t Get Posthumous Pardon
UPDATED: The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles has voted not to recommend a posthumous full pardon for Cameron Todd Willingham, who was executed a decade ago after being convicted of setting a fire that killed his daughters.
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Criminal Justice
Use of Force Against Inmates on the Rise
The population in Texas prisons dropped from 2005 to 2013, but statistics from the corrections agency show that officers are using “major” force against inmates more often.
