Texas will soon release prison inmates with documentation of job skills
For Allison Franklin, the Texas criminal justice system seemed designed to return her to prison rather than prepare her to make it in the free world. "The only thing I was ever released with was my prison ID, my offender ID," she said. "And you can't apply for a job with that."
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Five Things You Should Know About Our Justice System
We tend to see those affected by the criminal justice system as an isolated minority, whose actions have no impact on our lives, but its effects ripple through families, communities and the economy.
Waco women offer Light in the Gap to female ex-offenders
Every weekday, a van from Gatesville arrives at the Waco bus station to deliver women released from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. And every weekday, women from Waco-area churches greet the ex-offenders, offering them a warm welcome, homemade cookies, handcrafted tote bags filled with helpful items and a prayer of blessing.
Convicted felons on parole could vote if Texas bill passes. These are the potential voter demographics in Harris County
In Texas, convicted felons are allowed to vote after serving their sentence, but House Bill 1419 aims to allow convicted felons to vote if they are not currently incarcerated. If it becomes law, felons sentenced to parole, supervision, probation or other sentences not involving jail time would be able to vote. The bill, authored by Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, would be Texas' first law since 1997 to address felony disenfranchisement.
House considers expanding voting eligibility to felons on parole
Texas would grant felons who on parole or under supervision the right to vote if an effort by Democratic state representatives becomes law.
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.
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.
La Puerta, a safe place for sex trafficking victims to heal, is ready to open in San Antonio
La Puerta, an emergency shelter for the underage victims of sex-trafficking, was unveiled during a ceremony Jan. 30, 2019. The facility is a service of Roy Maas Youth Alternatives.
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.
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.