SAISD trustees table vote on Student Code of Conduct
A vote on changes to the San Antonio Independent School District’s Student Code of Conduct was tabled Monday by its board after a coalition of social justice advocacy groups said it didn’t adequately address the school-to-prison pipeline.
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‘Survival crimes’ can trap some in LGBTQ community in spiral of desperation
Allison Franklin still thinks about the transgender women who helped her during her 10 years as a prostitute. In those years in and out of jail, Franklin — now an LGBTQ advocate — and the people she was with were just trying to survive. Along with prostitution, some sold drugs or tried to recruit others to join them. It’s a narrative all too familiar for those members of the LGBTQ community caught in a spiral after incarceration, ending up there after committing crimes just to stay alive or find a place to sleep.
Advocates call on Harris County DA to release name of untrustworthy cops
A coalition of advocates and lawyers on Friday morning asked Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg to develop a list of police deemed too untrustworthy to rely on in court — and to release the names publicly to rebuild community trust on the heels of a botched narcotics raid that left a Houston couple dead earlier this year.
Botched drug raid leads Harris County DA to seek funding for more staff
The Harris County District Attorney's Office is again asking county commissioners for more prosecutors, this time to handle fallout from the failed Pecan Park drug raid that left two homeowners dead and prompted an investigation into potential police misconduct.
Stealing packages could result in jail time in Texas after Gov. Greg Abbott signs bill
House Bill 37, which goes into effect Sept. 1, criminalizes mail theft, with the penalty ranging from a class A misdemeanor to third-degree felony, depending on the number of addresses mail is taken from.
The Traffic Stop: One of the Great Abuses of Police Power in Contemporary Life
The Texas Criminal Justice Coalition reviewed all arrests in Harris County, which includes Houston, over the course of 16 weeks. It found that African Americans accounted for nearly half of all drivers arrested on a single, “non-jailable” motor vehicle offense.
Texas Criminal Justice Coalition Launches Dallas County Data Dashboard
Following the launch of a first-of-its-kind criminal justice data dashboard in Harris County late last year, the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition is proud to announce that its Dallas County dashboard is now live.
Houston Cop Who Led Botched Drug Raid Overwhelmingly Arrested Black People
Gerald Goines, who as a Houston narcotics cop led a botched deadly drug raid in January, heavily targeted Black people for low-level drug sale charges in majority black neighborhoods, according to arrest data obtained by The Appeal.
The Revolving Door Between Homelessness and Prison
People experiencing homelessness are 11 times more likely to face incarceration compared to the general population, and formerly incarcerated individuals are nearly 10 times more likely to be homeless, a new study by the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition (TCJC) found.
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.