The announcement signals a shift in Abbott’s approach to fighting the opioid epidemic. He had previously pushed back against bills calling for the decriminalization of fentanyl testing strips.
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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Uvalde school shooting
Uvalde officials say local prosecutor impeded investigation into police response to shooting
In a lawsuit filed Thursday, the city of Uvalde says the district attorney is restricting information needed by its independent investigator. Uvalde wants a judge to compel the prosecutor to hand over all relevant investigative information.
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Criminal Justice
Suspect in Vanessa Guillén’s killing pleads guilty
The 20-year-old Fort Hood soldier’s murder prompted nationwide outrage and calls to reform the way the military addresses sexual violence within its ranks.
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Uvalde school shooting
Mother of 10-year-old Uvalde shooting victim sues school district, police and gun manufacturer
The lawsuit accuses Daniel Defense, the manufacturer of the shooter’s weapon, of marketing that primes “young buyers to purchase AR-15-style rifles as soon as they are legally able.”
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Criminal Justice
Facing possible removal for alleged incompetence, El Paso District Attorney Yvonne Rosales resigns
The first-term DA was under fire for the office’s mishandling of criminal cases and for potentially jeopardizing the prosecution of the man charged in the 2019 Walmart massacre.
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Uvalde school shooting
Amid fallout from the Uvalde shooting, Texas DPS wants $1.2 billion for academy and active-shooter training facility
DPS is asking lawmakers to approve a $467 million active-shooter facility as a “down payment” for the training academy. “You play like you practice,” Director Steve McCraw said.
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Criminal Justice
Prison contractor MTC accused of billing Texas millions for inmate treatment programs it didn’t provide
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.
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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.