Before being released on parole, most Texas prisoners must complete treatment programs like life skills or addiction therapy. Private prison operator Management & Training Corporation allegedly stopped providing the services, but kept taking the money.
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
A 2019 force-feeding of an Indian asylum-seeker at an El Paso ICE facility was caught on tape
The footage, obtained by The Intercept, lifts the veil of secrecy on a practice condemned by medical ethicists.
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Uvalde school shooting
Acting Uvalde police chief during Robb Elementary shooting resigns
Lt. Mariano Pargas was one of the nearly 400 law enforcement officers who responded to the shooting at Robb Elementary on May 24.
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Juvenile Justice
Pay raises alone won’t solve staffing shortages in “nightmare” Texas youth prisons, ex-workers say
Danger and trauma — not low salaries — are what drive most workers to leave the crisis-wracked Texas Juvenile Justice Department.
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Criminal Justice
Texas’ execution of Stephen Barbee was prolonged while officials searched for a vein
Barbee, convicted in the 2005 murders of his pregnant ex-girlfriend and her child, was unable to straighten his arms, which caused the delay. Courts allowed Barbee’s execution despite concerns from his lawyer that his disability would make the process “torture.”
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Criminal Justice
Texas executes Tracy Beatty for strangling mother to death
Beatty’s lawyers argued unsuccessfully that the 2003 Smith County murder didn’t qualify for the death penalty. Neither the Supreme Court nor Texas Gov. Greg Abbott intervened on Wednesday.
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Texas 2022 Elections
National political leaders stump through Texas ahead of midterm elections
First lady Jill Biden and U.S. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy were in Texas Sunday to help members of their respective parties energize voters before Election Day.
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Criminal Justice
In wake of the Uvalde shooting, hoax active-shooter calls keep parents and police on edge
An increase in fake active-shooter reports since the beginning of the school year has intensified parents’ anxieties and required an additional law enforcement response.
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Uvalde school shooting
Four Uvalde shooting victims left classrooms alive. Investigators are reviewing whether a faster response could have saved them.
The inquiry will help determine whether criminal charges should be brought against responding officers.
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Uvalde school shooting
“I’m so scared”: 911 recordings reveal fear and urgency of those trapped in Uvalde elementary school
Audio obtained by The Texas Tribune and ProPublica shows just how long police and dispatchers likely knew that children and teachers were in danger before taking action at Robb Elementary School.