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Texas Lawmakers Consider State Jails a “Complete Failure”
Loaded on June 5, 2019
by Matthew Clarke
published in Prison Legal News
June, 2019, page 54
Filed under:
Jail Specific.
Location:
Texas.
by Matt Clarke
In 2019, the Texas House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence issued a report that called the state jail system “a complete failure.” Created in 1993, the category of crime known as a state jail felony was intended to segregate certain nonviolent, low-level offenders – especially …
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More from this issue:
- News In Brief
- President Trump Wants Focus on Hiring Ex-Prisoners, Hosts Them at White House, by Scott Grammer
- California: Court of Appeal Holds Possession of Marijuana in Prison Still a Felony Despite Proposition 64, by Chad Marks
- Illinois Court Rules Indefinite Detention of Sex Offenders Due to Lack of Approved Housing Unconstitutional, by Scott Grammer
- Eighth Circuit Holds Guards Not Liable for Disregarding Prisoner’s Stroke Symptoms, by Matthew Clarke
- Over $980,000 in Damages, Fees Awarded in Deliberate Indifference Case Against Wexford, by Kevin W. Bliss
- $300,000 Settlement in Lawsuit over Minnesota Prisoner’s Suicide, by Matthew Clarke
- Federal Court Approves $3 Million Settlement for Death of Virginia Jail Prisoner Jamycheal Mitchell, by Scott Grammer
- Consumer Watchdog Group Releases Report on Bail and Corrections Industry, by Scott Grammer
- Colorado Prisoner Claims She was “Bait” in Prison Sexual Assault Sting, by Scott Grammer
- $115,000 Settlement after Nebraska Prison Nurses Ignore Prisoner Suffering Heart Attack, by Edward Lyon
- Jailed North Carolina Teenager Commits Suicide; $650,000 Wrongful Death Settlement, by Edward Lyon
- Federal Prison Guard Admits to Sexually Assaulting Prisoners, Sentenced to Two Years, by Edward Lyon
- Washington State Prisoner Properly Denied Visitation with Daughters, by David M. Reutter
- Texas Lawmakers Consider State Jails a “Complete Failure”, by Matthew Clarke
- Seventh Circuit Reinstates Lawsuit Over Illinois Jail’s Denial of Legal Publication Without Notice, by Matthew Clarke
- Third Circuit: Female Jail Guard Loses Discrimination, Wrongful Termination Case, by David M. Reutter
- California Jail Prisoners Claim Sleep Deprivation; Court Issues Injunction, by Kevin W. Bliss
- Study Shows Care for HIV-Positive Prisoners Poor after Release, Worse for Those Re-Incarcerated, by Scott Grammer
- HRDC Prevails in New Mexico Public Records Suit, by Edward Lyon
- Oregon Transitional Leave Violations Require Morrissey Due Process Protections, by Mark Wilson
- Pennsylvania Town Rejects Private Prison Firm, by Edward Lyon
- Prosecutorial Misconduct Records Protected by Colorado Supreme Court and SCOTUS, by Edward Lyon
- New Jersey Women’s Prison Again Under Investigation for Staff Sexual Abuse, by Kevin W. Bliss
- Denver, Colorado Pays $30,000 Settlement Over a $50 Bond Fee, by Edward Lyon
- Supreme Court Again Prevents Texas from Executing Intellectually Disabled Prisoner
- Second Circuit Reinstates Prisoner’s Lawsuit Dismissed for Failure to Comply with F.R.C.P., by Matthew Clarke
- Prisoners Seek Comprehensive Hepatitis C Testing and Treatment, by Kevin W. Bliss
- L.A. Sheriff Claims Jail Reforms Resulted in More Violence; Court Appointed Monitors Disagree, by Matthew Clarke
- $1.6 Million Awarded to California Family After Man Dies in County Jail, by Chad Marks
- Ohio Restaurateur Founds Hot Chicken Takeover, Hires Ex-Cons, by Scott Grammer
- Corizon Settles Lawsuit Over Colorado Jail Prisoner’s Death for $3.7 Million; County Pays Another $200,000, by Matthew Clarke
- Cook County to Pay Over $5 Million for Depriving Prisoners of Dental Care, by Douglas Ankney
- Class Action Challenges Theft of Millions of Digital Music Files from Florida Prisoners, by David M. Reutter
- Lawsuit Against New York Jail, CCS Survives Motion to Dismiss, by Derek Gilna
- Illinois: Settlement in Suit Against Private Prison Medical Contractor is a Disclosable Public Record
- Director of Nonprofit that Locked Up Thousands of Immigrant Children Resigns Amid Federal Investigation, by Douglas Ankney
- Louisiana State Prisoners Routinely Held Past Scheduled Release Dates, by Kevin W. Bliss
- Former Wisconsin Governor Regrets Building Prisons, by Scott Grammer
- Michigan Hit with Multiple Lawsuits Related to Women’s Prison, by Douglas Ankney
- Texas: Prosecutorial Misconduct May Stymie Death Sentence
- New Jersey County Pays $1,975,000 to Settle Suit Over Unlawful Strip Searches, by Douglas Ankney
- California Cops Impersonate Prisoners to Obtain Evidence, Confessions, by Edward Lyon
- $750,000 Settlement After Mentally Ill Prisoner Dies at Virginia Jail, by Edward Lyon
- Gladiator-Style Fight Club at San Francisco Jail Results in $60,000 Settlement, by Chad Marks, Edward Lyon
- Georgia Prisoner Left in Vegetative State; Lawsuit Settles for $1,500,000, by Edward Lyon
- Securus Hacked Again; Passwords, Personal Information, Location Data Compromised, by Matthew Clarke
- People with Traumatic Brain Injuries More Likely to Commit Crimes, by Edward Lyon
- Privately-Run British Prison in Shambles, Ministry of Justice Takes Control, by Scott Grammer
- Prisoner Enters Federal System Able to See, Leaves Nearly Blind; $2.6 Million Settlement, by Edward Lyon
- California: Placer County to Pay up to $1.44 Million to Settle Class Action Suit for Jail Beatings, by Douglas Ankney
- Showtime’s “Escape at Dannemora” Left Out Torture and Abuse, by Katie Rose Quandt
- PLRA Attorney Fee Award Discussed after Oklahoma Jail Prisoner Awarded $35,001, by Derek Gilna
- Seventh Circuit Holds Heck May Not be Circumvented by Waiving Claims Related to Prison Disciplinary Punishment, by Matthew Clarke
- Florida City, County Decide to End Use of Prisoner Slave Labor, by Kevin W. Bliss
- HRDC Files Public Records Suits, Argues GEO Group is a De Facto Public Agency, by Steve Horn
- Ohio County Pays $115,000 to Settle Second Suit Over Restraint Chair Pepper-Spraying, by Matthew Clarke
- Republican-Appointed Federal Judges Sentence Blacks More Harshly, Women More Leniently, by Edward Lyon
- Los Angeles County to Pay Almost $4 Million for Sexual Abuse by Jail Deputy, by Douglas Ankney
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Missouri Sheriff Hires Girlfriend to Run Jail; Both are Arrested, by Scott Grammer
- The Isolation of Being Deaf in Prison, by Jeremy Woody
- PLN Interviews Randy Berg, Director of the Florida Justice Institute, by Paul Wright
More from Matthew Clarke:
- Dissenter Excoriates SCOTUS for Denying Certiorari in Challenge to Constitutionality of Nitrogen Hypoxia Execution, Feb. 1, 2026
- D.C. Federal Court Holds Blocking Prison Reform Advocate’s Access to Federal Prisoners May Violate First Amendment and Due Process, Feb. 1, 2026
- Eleventh Circuit Holds Estate Cannot Sue Jailers Who Followed Medical Personnel Advice That Led to Detainee’s Death, Feb. 1, 2026
- Sixth Circuit Reinstates Lawsuit Over Failure to Properly Classify Violent Prisoners at Kentucky Jail, Feb. 1, 2026
- Eleventh Circuit Holds Alabama County May Be Liable for Policy of Providing Inadequate Jail Medical Care, Feb. 1, 2026
- Tenth Circuit Reverses Summary Dismissal of Claim Over Prisoner’s Suicide in Oklahoma Jail, Feb. 1, 2026
- Deportation of Kenyan Priest Working as Texas Prison Guard Highlights TDCJ’s Dependence on Immigrant Staff, Feb. 1, 2026
- Ninth Circuit Reinstates Wheelchair-Bound Washington State Prisoner’s Suit Over Failure to Accommodate Disabilities During Transport, Feb. 1, 2026
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Announces Adoption of Transferred Intent Self-Defense, Jan. 1, 2026
- Eleventh Circuit Upholds Dismissal of Six Female Alabama Jail Detainees’ Sexual Assault Suit, Jan. 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- Escape from Georgia Jail Ends in Florida after Lyft Hijacking, Feb. 1, 2026. Escapes, Jail Specific, Security Systems, Kidnapping, Abduction or Unlawful Restraint.
- Competency Crisis in Missouri’s Jails, Feb. 1, 2026. Jail Specific, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Pretrial Detention and Detainees, Competency, Competency Hearing.
- Oklahoma Prisoner Who Escaped Through Hole Killed by Sheriff, Feb. 1, 2026. Escapes, Plumbing, Jail Specific, Security Systems.
- New Jail in Oklahoma Is Costing More than Triple the Amount Voters Approved, Jan. 1, 2026. Staffing, Sanitation, Jail Specific, Vermin, DOJ CRIPA Actions.
- Report Slams South Carolina Jail for Violating State Rules, Jan. 1, 2026. Corrections Audits, Totality of Conditions, Staffing, Jail Specific, Security Systems.
- Soaring Medical Costs in Washington Jails, Jan. 1, 2026. Private Contractors, Medical Expenses, Malpractice, Jail Specific, Contractor Liability.
- Louisiana Detainee Captured After Two Previous Escapes, Dec. 1, 2025. Criminal Prosecution, Escapes, Jail Specific, Assaults on Staff, Prior Conviction/Sentence/Incarceration.
- $4 Million Settlement Reached in Class Action Challenge to Conditions at Shuttered St. Louis “Workhouse” Jail, Dec. 1, 2025. Totality of Conditions, Jail Specific, Settlements, Class Certification.
- Arrests by Trump-Backed Task Force Make Tennessee Jail Conditions Worse, Dec. 1, 2025. Transfers, Jail Misconduct, Overcrowding, Bedding, Jail Specific.
- Jail Roster Goes Online for Ohio’s Second-Largest County, Oct. 1, 2025. Computer Searches, Jail Specific.

