Federal Court Finds Texas Violates Rights of Muslim Prisoners by Matthew Clarke Federal Court Finds Texas Violates Rights of Muslim Prisoners by Matt Clarke On April 30, 2014, a federal district court held that the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) was violating the constitutional rights of Muslim prisoners by …
Texas Prison Escapes Down Since “Texas Seven” by Matthew Clarke Texas Prison Escapes Down Since “Texas Seven” by Matt Clarke Officials with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) say the number of escapes from state prisons dropped sharply after seven prisoners staged a brazen break-out in 2001. Since 2012 …
One of Two Charges Dropped against Former Texas Governor in Abuse-of-Power Case by Matthew Clarke One of Two Charges Dropped against Former Texas Governor in Abuse-of-Power Case by Matt Clarke One criminal charge has been dismissed in an abuse-of-power case filed against ex-Texas Governor Rick Perry, but a second charge …
Texas Information Officer’s Termination Lawsuit Dismissed by Texas Information Officer’s Termination Lawsuit Dismissed A Texas federal district court dismissed a discrimination lawsuit filed by former Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) Public Information Director Michelle Lyons. She appealed to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals following the court’s September 2013 …
Federal Court Improperly Defers Judgment, Allows Discovery on Qualified Immunity Defense by Federal Court Improperly Defers Judgment, Allows Discovery on Qualified Immunity Defense The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has held that a lower court incorrectly deferred judgment on the defendants’ motion seeking qualified immunity and improperly allowed limited discovery. …
$775,000 Settlement for Parents of Student Injured During Incident with Police Deputy by $775,000 Settlement for Parents of Student Injured During Incident with Police Deputy The parents of a Texas high school student have settled their suit against Deputy Dandy McMillan and others for $775,000. The suit raised state and …
At Least $78,000 in Sealed Settlement for Texas Jail Prisoner’s Suicide by Matthew Clarke At Least $78,000 in Sealed Settlement for Texas Jail Prisoner’s Suicide by Matt Clarke On March 11, 2013, a Texas federal court approved the settlement of a lawsuit over the suicide death of a Texas prisoner …
Texas Supreme Court Holds No Compensation for Wrongly-Convicted Prisoner Imprisoned on Other Charges by Matthew Clarke Texas Supreme Court Holds No Compensation for Wrongly-Convicted Prisoner Imprisoned on Other Charges by Matt Clarke On August 23, 2013, the Supreme Court of Texas held that a former death row prisoner who had …
Indictments and Guilty Pleas in Multi-Gang Prison Smuggling Conspiracy in Texas by Matthew Clarke Indictments and Guilty Pleas in Multi-Gang Prison Smuggling Conspiracy in Texas by Matt Clarke On February 26, 2013, a 23-page federal indictment was unsealed. It charged 32 people with involvement in a complex conspiracy to smuggle …
Houston Justice System Disfavors Poor by Houston Justice System Disfavors Poor Blacks awaiting trial in Harris County Texas have always had a tougher time receiving fair treatment than other ethnic groups. They still do. Gerald R. Wheeler reviewed more than 6,500 felony and misdemeanor pretrial detainee cases in Harris County, …
Mistakes and Misinformation Force Temporary Closure of Texas "Prisoner" Website by Mistakes and Misinformation Force Temporary Closure of Texas "Prisoner" Website An excessive amount of mistakes and misinformation on a Texas prisoner information website caused its creators to remove it from the Internet. The Texas Tribune embraces its mission of …
Violence in Texas Prisons Tied to Mental Illness by Violence in Texas Prisons Tied to Mental Illness Conclusions of a longitudinal study found that the most violent Texas prisons also house the highest percentage of mentally ill prisoners. The study conducted by the Texas Tribune from 2006 to 2012 collected …
News in Brief by News in Brief California: On April 21, 2015, San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi announced that 30 body cameras would soon be deployed by jailers working within Jail No. 4. He said he hopes that the new equipment will emphasize transparency and accountability in his department, which …
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Holds Forcible Medication for Death Row Prisoner Unauthorized by Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Holds Forcible Medication for Death Row Prisoner Unauthorized On September 11, 2013, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals held that a trial court lacked authority under the competency-to-be-executed statute, Texas Code …
San Antonio Police Kill Probation Department/Jail Security Guard by Matthew Clarke San Antonio Police Kill Probation Department/Jail Security Guard by Matt Clarke Jimmy James Garza, Jr. was 31 years old and had worked at the Bexar County Community Supervision and Corrections Department in San Antonio, Texas as a security monitor …
Joint letter to TX officials about private immigration family detention facilities October 13, 2015 The Hon. Greg Abbott Governor Office of the Governor P.O. Box 12428 Austin, Texas 78711-2428 The Hon. John J. Specia, Jr. Commissioner Texas Department of Family and Protective Services 701 West 51st Street Austin, Texas 78751 …
Texas Judge Sentenced For Concealing Evidence of Innocence by Matthew Clarke Texas Judge Sentenced For Concealing Evidence of Innocence by Matt Clarke In a week-long legal proceeding held in April 2013, special prosecutor Rusty Hardin presented evidence against then-sitting Williamson County District Judge Ken Anderson that as a prosecutor Anderson …
Jury Trial Ends As Texas Prisoner Settled His Lawsuit against Prison Officials by Jury Trial Ends As Texas Prisoner Settled His Lawsuit against Prison Officials A prisoner at the Telford Unit (TU) of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) has settled his federal suit against two prison officials, for …
Supreme Court Vacates $3.4 Million Child Porn Restitution by Mark Wilson Supreme Court Vacates $3.4 Million Child Porn Restitution By Mark Wilson On April 23, 2014, the United States Supreme Court vacated a child pornography victim’s $3.4 million restitution award, finding that the Government failed to prove that defendant’s conduct …
