TCJE in the News


Press Contact: For all media inquiries, please contact Madison Kaigh, Communications Manager, at mkaigh@TexasCJE.orgor (512) 441-8123, ext. 108.


 

Texas senator proposes moving all youth in state lockups to shuttered adult jail

After shrinking the population at state-run juvenile lockups, state Sen. John Whitmire wants to move the remaining youth at five facilities to one recently closed adult jail.

Read the rest of this article at the Texas Tribune.

Texas Prison Reformers Demand Dignity for Incarcerated Women

Bills addressing the basic needs of incarcerated women bolster the larger call for reform in the state prison system this session.

Read the rest of this article at the Texas Observer. 

Formerly incarcerated women demand fairness, dignified treatment for women in prison

On this International Women's Day, a group of women who've served time are demanding lawmakers pass a series of bills that would help meet the needs of the thousands of women who are locked up.

Read the rest of this article at Fox 7 Austin.

Texas Lawmakers Want Judges To Send Fewer Moms To Prison

When Mia Greer went to prison, she says she wasn’t the only one who was punished. Her kids suffered too.

Read the rest of this article at High Plains Public Radio. 

Some Texas Lawmakers Want To Make Porch Package Theft A Felony

Stealing a package off someone’s front porch could soon become a much more serious crime.  Three bills in the Texas Legislature are proposing to make it a felony.

Read the rest of this article at CBS DFW. 

Third Time’s The Charm? Marijuana Decriminalization Gets Another Chance in Texas

The first marijuana reform bill heard in committee this session would downgrade possession of an ounce to a civil offense and a fine up to $250.

Read the rest of this article at the Texas Observer. 

Out of Sight, Out of Mind: The Growing Population of Incarcerated Women

Lauren Johnson discovered she was pregnant days before going to prison. For the following eight months, guards escorted her, shackled, to Brackenridge Hospital once a month for her doctors’ appointments until she gave birth.

Read the rest of this article at Austin Woman Magazine.

Shelter in San Antonio serves young sex trafficking victims

The underage victims of sex trafficking in San Antonio now have a new place to heal and overcome their trauma, thanks to a partnership between Roy Maas Youth Alternatives and a number of local donors.

Read the rest of this article at theTexarkana Gazette.

The Revolving Door Between Homelessness and Prison

People experiencing homelessness are 11 times more likely to face incarceration compared to the general population, and formerly incarcerated individuals are nearly 10 times more likely to be homeless, a new study by the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition (TCJC) found.

Read the rest of this article at The Crime Report. 

DA to ask for more prosecutors again, citing large-scale case review sparked by botched drug raid

Once again, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg is asking for more prosecutors - this time to handle the extra case reviews stemming from the botched Pecan Park drug raid and its fallout.

Read the rest of this article at the Houston Chronicle.