TCJE in the News

New Report Explains the Link Between Homelessness and Justice System Involvement

The Texas Criminal Justice Coalition released the final report in its "One Size Fails All" report series.  The report, Return to Nowhwere: The Revolving Door Between Incarceration and Homelessness, examines the undeniable link between homelessness and criminal justice system involvement, and the factors that contribute to both. It offers recommendations to end the chronic pattern that wastes lives and squanders resources that could be better used to address the factors leading to homelessness.

Read the rest of this press release here.

The Race for San Antonio Mayor a Second Referendum

As a reader, I came to Senior Reporter Iris Dimmick’s Q&A with the nine candidates who want to be mayor of San Antonio with skepticism. Readers of the interviews published Saturday will recognize only a few of the candidates’ names, at best, so there was little reason to expect coherent responses or actionable ideas.

Read the rest of this article from the Rivard Report.

Film Detailing Austin Teacher's Violent Arrest To Be Screened

Oscar-nominated 2017 documentary 'Traffic Stop' tells harrowing story of schoolteacher Breaion King, thrown to the ground by officer.

Read the rest of this article at Patch. 

Bipartisan effort in Texas Legislature aims to make life easier for electricians, other workers who need state licenses

Bills may cut licensing costs for new parents, protect applicants' religious beliefs.

Read the rest of this article at Austin Business Journal. 

Built with rehabilitation in mind, Texas state jails are now viewed by lawmakers as a "complete failure"

State jails were created to help low-level drug offenders get treatment. But they offer few rehabilitative services, and their inmates are more likely to reoffend.

Read the rest of the article at the Texas Tribune.

Harris County Leaders Vote Against District Attorney’s $20 Million Budget Request To Hire More Prosecutors

The Harris County Commissioners Court voted Tuesday against District Attorney Kim Ogg’s request for a $20 million budget increase to hire more prosecutors.

Read the rest of this article at Houston Public Media.

Harris County DA Says Her Request For More Prosecutors Has Been Politicized

Criminal Justice reform groups have criticized Kim Ogg’s request to hire 102 new lawyers. They argue more people will be jailed, but the DA says her office needs more staff to handle a backlog of cases.

Read the rest of this article at Houston Public Media.

Hammond: Criminal justice should deliver better results at lower cost

Texas spends more than $168 million each year locking people up for state jail felonies — in many cases for minor offenses — with a 62 percent re-arrest rate within three years. 

Read the rest of this article at Longview News-Journal. 

Convicted young, longtime Texas inmates hope Second Look bill could give them a second chance

The first time Michael Tracy skipped school, it was to help plan a robbery. He was 17, and reckless.

Read the rest of this article at the Houston Chronicle. 

Community Advocacy Group Opposes Harris County District Attorney’s Budget Request for 102 Additional Prosecutors

Read the rest of this press release here.