Joshua Keith Beasley Jr. had been transferred from a Texas youth facility to an adult prison despite a long history of suicidal behavior. Five guards and two supervisors allegedly failed to check on him.
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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Education savings accounts drain resources, diminish choices
School vouchers, also known as education savings accounts (ESAs), have been a focal point this session and a priority for some state leaders. ESAs must be rejected by state lawmakers.
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Criminal Justice
Months after being freed, Afghan soldier arrested at border is now on a path toward asylum and healing
Wasi and his brother pray for their family’s safety as the holy month of Ramadan ends and the Taliban continues to rule Afghanistan.
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Criminal Justice
Texas judge cancels Ivan Cantu execution after new evidence suggests he might be innocent
Two jurors from Cantu’s 2001 double-murder trial now support his appeals, which claim prosecutors relied on false testimony and withheld crucial evidence.
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Criminal Justice
San Antonio to vote on progressive wish list on abortion, marijuana, low-level arrests
Proposition A on the May 6 ballot will test the city’s political climate and progressives’ ability to advance a controversial agenda.
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Guns in Texas
In overnight testimony, Uvalde victims’ family members call on Texas lawmakers to raise age to buy semi-automatic guns
The families of Uvalde shooting victims waited hours to testify at a House committee hearing in support of House Bill 2744, which would raise the minimum age to purchase semi-automatic guns from 18 to 21.
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Criminal Justice
U.S. Supreme Court lets Texas death row inmate Rodney Reed pursue DNA testing in bid to prove innocence
Reed has long said he was wrongfully convicted for the 1996 murder of Stacey Stites. His lawyers will now be able to renew their legal fight for testing of crucial crime scene evidence.
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Texas Legislature 2023
Texas House committee debates firearms bills filed in response to Uvalde shooting
The House Select Committee on Community Safety is scheduled to hear testimony on bills that would change how people buy firearms and how authorities report those purchases. One of these bills would raise the minimum age to 21 years old to purchase certain semi-automatic rifles.
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Guns in Texas
After years of little progress, Texas gun control and safety advocates see some small openings for dialogue at the Capitol
Many bills that would limit access to firearms or ammunition likely won’t become law anytime soon. But people who advocate at the Texas Capitol see emerging signs that there’s appetite for finding some middle ground.
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Texas Legislature 2023
Law enforcement says no explosives detected after bomb threat called in to state Capitol
The Texas Department of Public Safety did a sweep of Capitol grounds with K-9 dogs and found no explosive devices.