Texas Awards Prison Phone Contract by Matthew Clarke On August 14, 2008, the Texas Board of Criminal Justice (TBCJ) awarded a phone service contract to two companies, Kansas-based Embarq Corp. and Dallas-based Securus Technologies, Inc. Prior to this historic event, the Texas Dept. of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) was the only …
Jury Awards Almost $900,000 to Dallas County Jail Stroke Victim by Gary Hunter After a one week trial and a day of deliberation a federal jury awarded Stanley Shepherd $890,336 when a stroke he suffered, in the Dallas County jail, left him permanently paralyzed. On October 4, 2003 Shepherd was …
Writ Writer: One Man's Journey for Justice by David Preston Writ Writer: One Man’s Journey for Justice?A co-production of Passage Productions and the Independent Television Service ?(ITVS), in association with Latino Public Broadcasting Directed by Susanne Mason; 2008, 60 Minutes, $34.98 (personal use) http://www.writwritermovie.com/index.html Reviewed by David Preston De profundis …
Corpus Christi Pays $50,000 to Settle Jail Prisoner’s Excessive Force Claim by Corpus Christi Pays $50,000 to Settle Jail Prisoner’s Excessive Force Claim The City of Corpus Christi, Texas, agreed to settle an excessive use of force claim brought by a former detainee at the City Detention Center (CDC) for …
TDCJ Employee Wins $1,505,000 for Texas Prison System’s Failure to Accommodate by An El Paso jury awarded $1,505,000 to a former employee of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) for the prison system’s failure to accommodate her severe asthma by refusing to remove automatic air fresheners from an office …
ACLU Request for Investigation into Violations at the Reeves County Detention Center, 2009 February 5, 2009 VIA EMAIL: inspector.general@usdoj.gov Glenn A. Fine Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General ATTN: Civil Rights & Civil Liberties Complaints 950 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Room 4706 Washington, DC 20530 Re: Request for Investigation …
Allegations of Contraband Smuggling, Sex and Corruption at Texas Prison by Matthew Clarke Allegations of Contraband Smuggling, Sex and Corruption at Texas Prison by Matt Clarke The Inspector General’s office of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) has been investigating numerous cases of corruption at the 1,555-bed Terrell Unit …
Texas Prison Guard Files False Report, Faces 20 Years by Gary Hunter Texas Prison Guard Files False Report, Faces 20 Years by Gary Hunter Former Texas prison guard Eugene Morris, Jr. was found guilty of filing a false report about a use of force incident involving state prisoner Robert Tanzini. …
Texas Prisoners Pay Parole Consultants Hefty Fees by Many Texas prisoners seeking parole are paying large fees to attorneys acting as parole consultants, in an attempt to increase the likelihood of gaining release. In 2007, 22,364 Texas prisoners were paroled. About ten percent – or 2,168 – had hired one …
PR Bonds Plummet in Harris County, Texas as Jail Overflows by Gary Hunter PR Bonds Plummet in Harris County, Texas as Jail Overflows by Gary Hunter Republican judges elected on promises to be tough on crime and the absence of federal oversight have been cited as two reasons why Houston, …
Texas Guards Not Immune from Theft Liability Act Claim by On July 12, 2007, a Texas Court of Appeals held that sovereign immunity does not prevent a Texas state prisoner from suing prison guards in their individual capacities for confiscating and destroying his property, in a claim brought under the …
Dallas County Liable for Placing Suicidal Prisoner in Cell with Corded Phone by by Matt Clarke A Texas Court of Appeals has held that the state district court correctly denied Dallas County’s jurisdictional challenge and no-evidence motion for summary judgment in a suit involving the placement of a suicidal prisoner …
Ruling On Represented Petitioners' Pro Se Motions Subject To Appellate Review by Texas prisoner Elmer Robinson sought review of the denial of his pro se motion for a new trial, filed while he was represented by appointed counsel. Remand was ordered to determine the nature of the denial. Robinson appealed …
Texas: $232,000 Settlement, $82,000 Award in Prison Employees' Discrimination Suits by In 2003 and 2004, plaintiffs in two separate lawsuits prevailed on their claims of racial discrimination against the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ). In the most recent lawsuit, four auditors in the Community Justice Assistance Division of TDCJ …
“Habeas Hints” by Kent A. Russell by Kent Russell This column is intended to provide “habeas hints” to prisoners who are considering or handling habeas corpus petitions as their own attorneys (“in pro per”). The focus of the column is on habeas corpus practice under AEDPA, the 1996 habeas corpus …
Sexual Abuse and Violence in Texas Prisons Eclipses National Average by Gary Hunter Citing figures issued by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) a preliminary report by the Stop Prisoner Rape (SPR) initiative shows that Texas has five of the nation’s ten worst prisons for reported sexual violence. [SPR has …
Paying Texas Prisoners Undermines Outside Businesses by Gary Hunter Breaking with its longstanding tradition of using prison slave labor, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is paying certain prisoners, on several units, for working in industry programs. The upside is that some prisoners are being compensated for their labor …
Could the Fall of Lehman Brothers Signal Trouble for Private Prison Corporations? by Bob Libal Could the Fall of Lehman Brothers Signal Trouble for Private Prison Corporations? by Bob Libal and Nick Hudson While recent business news has been dominated by the bailout of some of the nation’s largest investment …
Private Prisons a Public Disgrace in Texas by Gary Hunter So much human feces covered the floors of a GEO Group-run juvenile prison in Coke County, Texas that departing inspectors stopped outside to wipe their shoes in the grass. The Coke County Juvenile Justice Center was in such bad shape …
Texas State Auditor States Some Prison Rehabilitation Programs Effective, Some Not by Matthew Clarke Texas State Auditor States Some Prison Rehabilitation Programs Effective, Some Not by Matt Clarke In March, 2007, the Texas State Auditor’s Office (SAO) released a report on five rehabilitation programs used in the Texas state prison …
