Texas Puts Money in Taxpayer Pockets, Needs to Spend Better

Texans will save an estimated $92 million when shopping for school supplies during this weekend’s “tax free” days. Everyone enjoys a good discount, and that money will help families buy their kids the learning tools they need. But Texas faces a big budget shortfall this year thanks to lower gas prices. State leaders will be looking for more efficient, less costly ways to fix roads, fund schools, and secure our communities while still giving money like this back to taxpayers.

More than 90,000 fathers will be living in a Texas prison on Father’s Day this year.  Some of them will soon be coming home.  The Texas Criminal Justice Coalition calls for changes that will give those families a fighting chance at success.

Each year, over 70,000 people are released from Texas’ prison system.  More than half have actually completed their sentence, are not under supervision, and get little or no help as they try to reestablish their lives.  

AUSTIN - Jailhouse visits are among the latest casualties of the digital age, with conversations squeezed through metal grates or thick plastic dividers replaced by Skype-like computer calls. Some are now revolting against the technology, calling it a poor substitute for human contact.

Read the rest of this article at Palestine Herald-Press.  

Richard Gladden, a Texas defense attorney, represents criminals for a living, so he’s no stranger to crime. But when he talks about Securus, a for-profit prison company based in Dallas, he is downright grim. “Securus is mercenary,” he says. “They’re squeezing blood out of a rock.”

Read the rest of this article at International Business Times.

Every month, the number of pregnant women incarcerated in Texas county jails hovers between 300 and 500, according to monthly jail population reports collected by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards.

Read the rest of this article at The Texas Observer. 

The Texas Criminal Justice Coalition worked closely with lawmakers and coalition partners to pass important criminal and youth justice reforms this legislative session, some of which are featured below.  These reforms will improve public safety in Texas communities and bring long-term cost savings to taxpayers. 

Read the rest of this press release here.

When Sandra Bland was booked at the Waller County Jail, she told the staff she had attempted suicide before — a staff, it turns out, who had not been sufficiently trained on how to safeguard the well-being of inmates who are mentally ill, suicidal or pose a risk to themselves.

Read the rest of this article at The Texas Tribune.

Sandra Bland's suicide in the Waller County jail on July 13 was the 140th time that detainees in Texas county jails have taken their own lives since authorities began compiling jail suicide statistics six years ago.

Read the rest of this article at The Houston Chronicle.