The latest criminal justice news from The Texas Tribune.
The Waller County Jail failed to complete a two-part mental health screening process as required by law during Sandra Bland's booking process, according to the state jail commission and at least one public policy group. Full Story
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The state of Texas can't hide behind sovereign immunity to escape a lawsuit for denying birth certificates to U.S. citizen children of undocumented immigrants, some legal experts contend. Full Story
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Following the controversial arrest and death of Sandra Bland in Waller County, a Houston lawmaker will convene a Texas House committee hearing Thursday to look at trooper arrest procedures and state jail standards. Full Story
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Deluged with death threats and trying to dispel rumors that they covered up the real circumstances of Sandra Bland's death, Waller County officials released more booking and jail videos Tuesday. Full Story
A grand jury will soon decide whether Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton should be indicted for securities fraud, but the battle for public opinion is already kicking into high gear. Full Story
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More than 2,000 undocumented women and children being held in "deplorable" conditions at federal immigration detention centers are supposed to be released under a recent federal judge's order. But how long that takes and what happens to them next remains unclear, attorneys say. Full Story
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The prosecutor in the Sandra Bland death investigation said Monday he has appointed an outside group of lawyers to review the evidence in the case to ensure that Waller County remains "an open book." Full Story
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Texas State University's Forensic Anthropology Center is home to about 50 donated human corpses, which are used in research that can help doctors identify bodies, rescuers find missing persons and law enforcement solve crimes. Full Story
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The Texas attorney general's office has opened an investigation into a contested election in the Rio Grande Valley won by a client of Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa two years ago, according to a lawyer for the losing candidate. Full Story
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A state appeals court on Friday threw out one of two counts in the indictment against former Gov. Rick Perry. Full Story
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Waller County officials have released the autopsy report for Sandra Bland, the 28-year-old African-American woman found dead in the county jail on July 13. Full Story
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In the Roundup: State officials vow to find out what happened to Sandra Bland, the woman who died in a Southeast Texas jail. And an addition to the 2016 Republican presidential field could affect some Texas hopefuls. Full Story
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Like many Texas lockups, the Waller County Jail staff had not been sufficiently trained in safeguarding suicidal or mentally ill inmates. Part of the problem is underfunding and understaffing at the state agency overseeing the network of 244 local and private jails. Full Story
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Of the 501 inmate deaths that have occurred in county jails since 2009, nearly a third of them were by suicide. Most of those suicides were by hanging, with inmates using objects jailers provided for them as ligatures. Full Story
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Wednesday asked a federal district judge to dismiss a lawsuit that claims a state agency violated the U.S. Constitution by denying birth certificates to U.S.-citizen children of immigrant parents. Full Story
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As she was being booked into the Waller County Jail, Sandra Bland told officers she had attempted suicide earlier this year, records released on Wednesday show. Bland also indicated that she had been diagnosed with epilepsy and was taking an anti-seizure medication. Full Story
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Two Texas lawmakers said Sandra Bland should have never been arrested after watching the video of the traffic stop taken from the Texas Department of Public Safety trooper’s car that was shown in a closed door meeting before being released to the public. Full Story
After a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper stopped Sandra Bland's car and approached her, he told her to put out her cigarette and get out of her car. When she asked why, he threatened to "light up" the 28-year-old with his Taser. Full Story
UPDATED: A week after Waller County Sheriff's deputies found Sandra Bland dead inside her jail cell, the Texas Department of Public Safety rereleased the dash cam video of the traffic stop that led to her arrest. DPS officials reposted the video after they say segments were affected by the original upload. Full Story
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Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán's brazen escape last week from a maximum-security Mexican prison prompted anger from U.S. officials. Advocates who want to see changes to drug laws argue now is the time to reassess current policies. Full Story
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