“They’re just setting those babies up for the penitentiary”: How minor offenses feed overcrowding at Houston youth jail
Across Texas, kids are getting into less trouble with the law even though the state population is exploding. So why is Harris County's juvenile detention center bursting at the seams?
Koch network targets Texas in push for prison reform in Trump era
The network backed by the billionaire industrialist brothers Charles and David Koch is investing millions to research how to help former prisoners successfully re-enter society in Texas and three other states.
Governor appoints former Texas Ranger as new juvenile justice watchdog amid agency shake-up
A former Texas Ranger is set to take over as independent watchdog for Texas juvenile prisons, a shift the governor announced Wednesday amid an agency shake-up on the heels of a sex abuse scandal.
Cruel and unusual: Dallas County teen inmates locked indoors for months
Death row inmates in Texas are given at least an hour a week outdoors. Hardened criminals inside California's famous San Quentin prison get 10 hours. Yet kids at a Dallas County correctional center for boys went months, sometimes more than a year, without going outdoors more than a few times.
State youth lockups under fire
Outraged by reports of abuses in Texas’ secure facilities for young offenders, lawmakers in a Senate finance committee called for top-to-bottom reform, and they’re not the only ones.
Texas prisons eliminate use of solitary confinement for punitive reasons
Texas correctional officials this month quietly eliminated the use of solitary confinement as a punishment for jailhouse rule-breakers, positioning the state at the forefront of a nationwide push to end the practice.
Inmates and Loved Ones Affected After Mecklenburg County Ends In-Person Visitation
On September 23, 2016, hundreds of protesters marching through the streets of Uptown Charlotte stopped outside of the Mecklenburg County Jail on East 4th Street to show solidarity.
Read the rest of this article at Creative Loafing Charlotte.
Death Row Solitary: ‘Their Walls Have Driven Them Mad’
Anthony Graves emerged from solitary confinement over six years ago to become a national crusader for justice reform, but it took a recent report by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin to add new urgency to his campaign to reform the practice in his own state.
Read the rest of this article at The Crime Report.
Solitary Confinement Is Still Used In Texas Jails And Prisons, But At What Cost?
Solitary confinement, administrative segregation, seclusion, disciplinary separation and lockdown are a few of the names for isolating a prisoner in a separate cell. Officials say administrative segregation or "ad seg," is necessary for offenders who require maximum security to ensure the safety of staff, other offenders and the security of the institution.
Two Smiths, one quest
Doug Smith and Reggie Smith didn’t have much in common until they both went to prison. They are now deeply involved in a movement of formerly incarcerated individuals advocating for criminal justice reform.