criminal justice

TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

By Evan Smith June 2, 2012

Our primary night scoreboard and liveblog, Aguilar on runoff strategy, Root and Batheja on Round two of Dewhurst vs. Cruz, M. Smith on how public education candidates fared, Ramshaw on what surprised pundits and pollsters, Galbraith on concerns over our electric grid, Aaronson on which government entities have access to your personal info, Grissom with the latest on the Hank Skinner case, Ramsey on Hispanic Republicans and part three of Tan's family planning series: The best of our best content from May 28 to June 1, 2012. Full Story

Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman
House Departures Take a Bite Out of Criminal Justice

By Brandi Grissom June 1, 2012

For years they’ve been the Butch and Sundance of Texas criminal justice policy. Republican state Rep. Jerry Madden and Democrat state Sen. John Whitmire have helped lead a sea change in the adult and juvenile prison systems. But the team is breaking up. Full Story

Credit: Callie Richmond
Director of Troubled Youth Agency to Retire

By Brandi Grissom May 29, 2012

After nearly fours years leading the state's juvenile justice agency, Cherie Townsend announced on Tuesday that she will retire next month, following reports of increasing violence at Texas' youth lockups. Full Story
UT/TT Poll: Texans Stand Behind Death Penalty

By Ross Ramsey May 24, 2012

Texans favor the death penalty, even with the alternative of life without parole. They are also nominally in favor of abortion rights and are more likely than not to favor medically assisted suicide for terminal patients. Full Story

Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman
Interactive: Political Action Committees' Candidate Endorsements

By Ryan Murphy and Anna Whitney May 22, 2012

Endorsements stack up, so we've prepared a big spreadsheet to show you who is getting the political support of some prominent interest groups, trade groups and political action committees. Full Story

Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman / Ryan Murphy
Texas Among Top 3 States in Total Exonerations

By Brandi Grissom and Ryan Murphy May 21, 2012

Researchers at two law schools Monday released an unprecedented listing of all the exoneration cases from the last 23 years. Only two states had more exonerations than Texas, according to the report. Full Story

Credit: Callie Richmond
James Liebman: The TT Interview

By Brandi Grissom May 16, 2012

The Columbia University law professor on the in-depth investigation his team conducted that they believe revealed that Carlos DeLuna did not commit the murder for which he was executed in 1989. Full Story

Credit: www.thewrongcarlos.net
Updated: Judge Again Denies Motion to Move 30-Year-Old Murder Case

By Brandi Grissom May 15, 2012

An administrative judge has again denied Kerry Max Cook's request to move his case out of Smith County, a decision the former death row inmate worries will doom his fight to legally prove his innocence. Full Story
Court Stays Execution of Mentally Ill Inmate

By Brandi Grissom May 14, 2012

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Monday stayed the execution of a severely mentally ill inmate convicted of a 1989 robbery and murder at a Fort Worth Steak and Ale restaurant. Full Story
Death Sentence Reviews Leave Unsettled Issues

By Brandi Grissom May 13, 2012

Defense lawyers argue that judges in Harris County — ordered to review a psychologist's work in two death penalty cases — are simply rubber-stamping the conclusions of the psychologist, who was reprimanded last year. Full Story
Study: When Placed in County Jails, Juveniles Are Often Isolated

By Brandi Grissom May 9, 2012

A study of 41 local jails has found that juveniles awaiting trial often face hours of isolation daily or exposure to abuse by older inmates. County jails struggle to deal with a population they are not equipped or trained to handle. Full Story
Jay Kimbrough Returns to Youth Agency in Trouble

By Brandi Grissom May 8, 2012

Gov. Rick Perry's "happy warrior" is coming to the rescue again for the state's troubled youth lockups. Jay Kimbrough will serve as special assistant for safety and security at the Texas Juvenile Justice Department. Full Story
Video: Ted Nugent Unplugged

By Justin Dehn May 5, 2012

Ted Nugent unplugged: The rocker and Second Amendment defender weighs in on everything from Mitt Romney and the Trayvon Martin case to his theory that President Obama was raised by Communists. Viewer discretion advised. Full Story

Credit: Reynaldo Leal
Rocker Ted Nugent is Bearing Arms and Cranking Up Controversy

By Jay Root May 4, 2012

If you thought a little Secret Service investigation or a $10,000 bear hunting fine would tame the "Motor City Madman," well, you probably have never sat down for a chat with Ted Nugent. Full Story

Credit: Reynaldo Leal
Pay to Pave

By Aman Batheja May 4, 2012

More energy producers are making "donations" to the Texas Department of Transportation to fix roads torn up by gas well operations. Full Story

Credit: Michael Stravato
Weekend Insider: Ted Nugent Talks

By Justin Dehn May 3, 2012

This week in The New York Times and at texastribune.org, Jay Root talks with rock-and-roll star and Second Amendment advocate Ted Nugent. Full Story
Top Criminal Court to Hear Skinner's DNA Plea

By Brandi Grissom May 2, 2012

The latest installment in death row inmate Hank Skinner's quest for DNA testing comes today as his lawyers argue to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals that a change in state law should allow for testing in his case. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Caleb Bryant Miller / Todd Wiseman
DNA Exonerates Two More Inmates in Dallas County

By Era Sundar, KUT News May 1, 2012

Two men on Monday became the 31st and 32nd individuals to be exonerated by DNA evidence in Dallas County since 2001. Era Sundar of KUT News reports on the faulty eyewitness identification system that may have led to their incarcerations. Full Story

Credit: Dave Nakayama
Filing by Cook's Lawyers Says DA Kept Murder Weapon as "Souvenir"

By Brandi Grissom May 1, 2012

UPDATED: Former Smith County District Attorney A.D. Clark III denies allegations by Kerry Max Cook's lawyers that Clark had kept the knife linked to Linda Jo Edwards' fatal stabbing at his home. Full Story
Amid Reports of Violence, Calls for Accountability, Reform at Youth Lockups

By Brandi Grissom April 30, 2012

Five years after Texas lawmakers overhauled the juvenile justice system, reports of violence, inappropriate staff behavior and poor mental health services at youth lockups are spurring calls for accountability and continued reform. Full Story

Credit: Jeff Heimsath