The former chairman of the Forensic Science Commission on why he believes the governor replaced him, whether he thinks political motivations were behind it, and why it is critical that the commission finish the Willingham arson investigation.
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
Fact-Checking Romney’s Claims About Texas Jobs
Mitt Romney says Rick Perry has “substantially underperformed his predecessors on job creation” and that the state’s unemployment rate has doubled on his watch. Is Romney right?
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Criminal Justice
Forensic Panel Urged to Continue Willingham Arson Probe
The Innocence Project is urging the Texas Forensic Science Commission to forge ahead with its investigation of arson cases despite a recent ruling from the state’s top lawyer that seemed to limit the panel’s authority.
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Criminal Justice
Lawyers, Victim Seek Clemency for Death Row Inmate
Phyllis Taylor survived the 1995 shooting spree that ended with two others dead and Duane Buck on death row. Buck is scheduled to be executed on Sept. 15. Today, Taylor asked state officials to halt his execution.
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Criminal Justice
On the Records: FEMA’s Wildfire Spending
As wildfires continue to sweep across the state, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has authorized seven more grants to help Texas manage the flames. Although the figures for the grants given to Texas after June are not yet available, the Tribune has a look at the $3.8 billion FEMA has given Texas to mitigate disasters.
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Criminal Justice
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Aaronson on the stats behind the Texas Miracle, Aguilar on an area of the budget that didn’t get cut during the session, Dehn and Tan wrap-up our 31 Days, 31 Ways project, Galbraith talks to Todd Staples about the drought, Grissom on controversial executions during Rick Perry’s tenure (plus a visualization by Murphy and Seger), Hamilton on the Rodney Dangerfield of Texas universities, Philpott on the search for clues in past Perry debates, Ramshaw on Perry’s opposition to abortion rights and Root on Perry’s assurances to conservatives that his past won’t embarrass them: The best of our best content from Aug. 29 to Sept. 2, 2011.
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Criminal Justice
On the Records: How We Got the TDCJ Execution Data
This morning @TribData released a visualization of all executions in the state of Texas since Gov. Rick Perry took office in late 2000. Here’s how we made it happen.
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Visualization: Executions on Rick Perry’s Watch
During nearly 11 years in office, Rick Perry has overseen 234 executions — by far the most of any recent governor in the United States. Use our interactive to learn more about the prisoners executed since Perry became Governor in 2000.
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Criminal Justice
Willingham Aside, Executions Under Perry Raise Questions
As Gov. Rick Perry touts his tough-on-crime policies on the national stage, the case of Cameron Todd Willingham remains in the headlines. But Willingham’s execution is hardly the only controversial one Perry has presided over.
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Criminal Justice
Lawyers Seek Reprieve for Death Row Inmate in Racially Tinged Case
Lawyers for death row inmate Duane Edward Buck today asked for clemency based on the statement of a key witness that the fact he was black meant Buck was more likely to be violent in the future.