Formerly Incarcerated Leaders to Gather for Community-Building Event in Dallas
On April 2, a group of formerly incarcerated and justice system-impacted Texans will convene in Dallas. The event, “From Prison to Power: Finding Your Voice After Incarceration,” is organized by the Texas Center for Justice and Equity’s Statewide Leadership Council (SLC) and partners
Pilot team for mental health 911 calls to deploy next month
The City of San Antonio will soon launch a pilot program that will send specially-trained police officers, paramedics and licensed clinicians to certain 911 calls that involve mental health. The multidisciplinary team, now called SA Core, for Community Outreach and Resiliency Effort, is aimed at reducing arrests by instead connecting people to the mental health services they need during a crisis.
Criminal Justice Candidate Forum for Travis County Commissioners Court
This week, local justice advocacy groups will host a virtual candidate forum for the Travis County Commissioners Court election. Participating will be candidates for Precinct 2 Commissioner Bob Libal and Brigid Shea (incumbent), and candidates for Precinct 4 Commissioner Margaret Gómez (incumbent) and Susanna Ledesma-Woody.
Texas Center for Justice and Equity & Texas Women’s Justice Coalition to Mark International Women’s Day
Today, the Texas Center for Justice and Equity (TCJE) and the Texas Women’s Justice Coalition, which was co-founded by TCJE, will mark International Women’s Day by highlighting the unique challenges faced by women in the criminal legal system.
Proposed criminal justice reform renews punishment v rehabilitation debate
In the 1994 film, “The Shawshank Redemption,” actor Morgan Freeman portrays a prison inmate nicknamed “Red” who addresses a parole board after serving 40 years of a life sentence. He’s asked if he has been rehabilitated.
State of Texas: Leaders consider ‘consequences’ of not tracking state hospital waitlist data
In Texas, people charged with crimes and found mentally incompetent to stand trial most often obtain restoration treatment at a state hospital before returning to jail and being able to actively participate in their defense.
YJLI Fellow Alycia Castillo Helps Young People Find Their Place in the Arc of Justice.
One night many years ago at 3:00 AM, I got a call from an 800 number, and something in me knew instantly that it was a loved one of mine calling from jail. I just knew it. It was one of my family members who was 17 at the time. I was in school and had just learned about some of the challenges that 17-year-olds experience in the criminal legal system in Texas.
Read the rest of this article from the National Juvenile Justice Network.
Texas, why are we sending kids to prison?
In a time of prison overpopulation, why are we sending kids to jail? In the state of Texas, children as young as 10 years old are held criminally responsible for their actions. At age 10, most children are still in elementary school, spending their days on the playground and reading Dav Pilkey. So why do we think they’re so dangerous they should be locked up?
County staffers update commissioners on the jail plan resolution
Last Tuesday’s Commissioners Court session focused on the future of the women’s jail. The Planning and Budget Office reported on the June 15 resolution, which asked county staff for strategies to reduce the number of incarcerated women and enhance jail services with diversion programs and other reforms.
Analysis of Austin-Area Drug Possession Arrest Data Shows Place-Based Policing Is Tied to Social Vulnerability
Today, the Texas Center for Justice and Equity (TCJE) released a data visualization on drug possession arrests in Travis County. The data story, created with January Advisors, maps 2,900 cases for possession of a controlled substance (POCS) of less than one gram, a state jail felony.