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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:
- Federal Court Grants HRDC Preliminary Injunction Against Mail Censorship at New Mexico Jail, May 1, 2026
- Faced with Record-Breaking Jail Deaths, L.A. County Supervisors Tell Sheriff’s Department to Improve Access to Naloxone, Camera Monitoring, and Security Checks at California Jail, May 1, 2026
- Federal Court Places Medical Care in Arizona Prisons Under Receivership, May 1, 2026
- Seventh Circuit Upholds Liability but Reverses Damages in Lawsuit Over Illinois Warden and Investigator Using Prisoner as Bait to Catch Staff Member Raping Her, May 1, 2026
- Texas Moves to Restrict Cashless Bond and Reverse Federal Court-Ordered Misdemeanor Bail Reform, May 1, 2026
- In Texas, Harris County Commissioners Approve $1.2 Million for Fourth Study of Jail Since 2020 After Dozens of Abuse Allegations, April 1, 2026
- Texas Attorney General Clarifies Scope of Statute Requiring Outside Agency Investigation of Jail Deaths, April 1, 2026
- D.C. Judge Blocks Transfer of Biden-Commuted Federal Death Row Prisoners to “Supermax,” Citing Lack of Meaningful Due Process, April 1, 2026
- Eighth Circuit Revives Lawsuit Over Iowa Jail Detainee’s Suicide, April 1, 2026
- Groundbreaking Statistical Study of Pregnant Texas Jail Detainees Finds Over 400 Monthly, April 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- Pregnant Women Detained in Jail: The Hideous Story of In-Custody Births, May 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, OB/GYN, Failure to Treat, Jail Specific, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- Negligence, Lack of Training at Ohio’s Cuyahoga County Jail Led to String of Deaths, May 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Drug Overdose, Jail Specific, Failure to Train/Supervise, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- $750,000 Paid by NaphCare for New York Jail Suicide, May 1, 2026. Naphcare, Jail Specific, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Suicides, Cruel and Unusual Punishment.
- Arrests of Unhoused People Driving Albuquerque Jail Bookings, May 1, 2026. Government Misconduct, Statistics/Trends, Jail Specific, housing, Prior Conviction/Sentence/Incarceration.
- In Texas, Harris County Commissioners Approve $1.2 Million for Fourth Study of Jail Since 2020 After Dozens of Abuse Allegations, April 1, 2026. Contractor Misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Jail Specific, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights.
- Judge Orders Rikers Manager Must Fix Jail in Seven Years Or Less, April 1, 2026. Prison Reform, Totality of Conditions, Jail Specific, Contempt (Civil Procedure), Consent Decrees.
- Oklahoma County Officials Move to Dissolve Jail Trust Created for Oversight, April 1, 2026. Totality of Conditions, Staffing, Sanitation, Jail Specific, Vermin.
- More Measles Cases Detected at Jails in New Mexico and Texas, April 1, 2026. Private Prisons, Contagious Disease -- Misc., Overcrowding, Jail Specific, Immigration Detention.
- Like Prisoners, Most Jail Detainees Now Banned from Receiving Physical Mail, March 1, 2026. Jail Specific, Mail Regulations, Legal Mail, Censorship, Digital Devices, Private Phone Contractors.
- New York City Begins Construction on Chinatown Jail Despite Opposition, March 1, 2026. Lobbying, Protests, Jail Specific, Transportation, Consent Decrees.

