TCJC Statement on Recent Race-Based Violence

TCJC condemns targeted and police violence against Black people and people of color across the country and reaffirms commitment to racial justice.

How Formerly Incarcerated and System-Impacted People Are Leading the Fight to Mitigate COVID-19 in Prisons and Jails

As of May 27, 2020, nearly 4,500 incarcerated people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Texas, nearly 12 times the number of cases this time one month ago. Thus far, 36 incarcerated people have died and at least five officers have lost their lives. Tens of thousands of men and women have been on lockdown in their cells or dorms for a month or more. There appears to be little end in sight.

A Second Chance for Us All

During a worldwide pandemic that’s overwhelming our healthcare system and triggering unprecedented layoffs, it’s no surprise that many of us have forgotten that April is Second Chance Month.

Data Shows That Harris County Must Do More to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19 in Its Jail

The warnings and recommendations of health experts indicate that Harris County is not doing enough to mitigate the spread of coronavirus in its jail. A variety of local health experts have emphasized that jails are particularly vulnerable to an outbreak of COVID-19, as they contain optimal conditions for the spread of infectious disease. Holding thousands of people in close quarters, jails are unable to comply with CDC recommendations like social distancing and hand washing.

What I Learned About Restorative Justice as TCJC’s Youth Justice Ambassador

The first time I heard about “restorative justice” was during the summer before my senior year of high school, on my first day at TCJC. I was an eager-to-please Policy Associate (and very much still am, just now under a different title!), and I was excited to get my first glimpse into the policy world. Over the coming months, I would spend  a large part of my time at TCJC poring over research about restorative justice.

Mitigating Disaster: Urgent and Just Responses to COVID-19 in the Texas Justice System

March 16, 2020

The Honorable Greg Abbott
Office of the Texas Governor
P.O. Box 12428
Austin, TX 78711

Mitigating Disaster: Urgent and Just Responses to COVID-19 in the Texas Justice System

Dear Governor Abbott:

Release Valve: Updates About Parole As Two More Texas Prisons Close

On Thursday, February 20, a reporter from the Texas Tribune contacted me for comment following the announcement by Senator John Whitmire that the state plans to close two prisons.

Perception Equals Potential: New Coalition in Dallas Will Work to Reverse the School-to-Prison Pipeline

Dallas has historically been a tale of two cities: one Black and one white. This problem exists to this day, especially when it comes to the divide in education, policing, and housing. South and West Dallas contain the highest concentration of Black and Latinx citizens.

So Much More Than "Formerly Incarcerated"

Before April 2017, I truly believed that I was destined to either perish as a result of my addiction or spend my life in prison. I was a woman who’d been trapped in a cycle of drug use and incarceration for 20 years, and I had no idea how to get out of the mess I had made of my life. I’d faced incarceration in so many ways—from finding myself in and out of county jail, to my time in prison and finally state jail. I went to rehab a few times and eventually lost custody of my 3 children. I felt that I had nothing left to lose and that I would go on in the same cycle to the bitter end.

Ending the Year in Celebration With a Texas Women's Dignity Retreat!

To close out this year’s progress on TCJC’s “Justice for Women” campaign, we took to the mountains—or, more accurately, the hills! From November 8-10, formerly incarcerated women, advocates, and service providers who have been working to advance women's justice legislation in our state gathered at beautiful Mo-Ranch in Hunt for the first-ever Texas Women's Dignity Retreat.