Travis County wants to spend $97M on new women's facility at jail
AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Travis County Commissioners Court voted Tuesday to ultimately postpone consideration to spend $97 million to build a new women's facility at the Travis County Correctional Complex (TCCC) and is expected to revisit the proposal in a year.
As Houston weighs housing ordinances, criminal justice reform advocates decry buffer rule
With the Houston City Council set to vote on proposed ordinances to overhaul regulations for boarding homes and other multi-resident housing, criminal justice reform advocates objected to a proposed 1,000 foot buffer zone for “alternative housing facilities,” saying it would make it harder to provide re-entry services.
Travis County Commissioners Vote To Delay Jail Expansion Funding
AUSTIN, TX — Travis County commissioners approved a year-long delay in allotting funding for the first phase of a $97 million women's jail expansion — a move hailed as a victory among criminal justice reform advocates who have long opposed increasing the facility's size.
Black Lives Matter, other groups seek removal of Harris County judge over Houston Chronicle comments
HOUSTON – Blacks Lives Matter: Houston and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas, along with six other organizations, have called for the suspension and removal of the 209th District Criminal Court Judge Michael McSpadden for comments made in a Feb. 23 Houston Chronicle report the groups claim show racial bias.
ACLU, 7 more community groups file complaint against Harris County judge
The ACLU of Texas and seven other groups filed a complaint today (Monday, March 5) with the Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct against 209th District Court Judge Michael McSpadden in Harris County, asking that McSpadden be immediately suspended and removed from the bench.
Advocacy groups seek sanctions against Harris County judge who disparaged Black Lives Matter
Eight state and local civil rights groups filed a formal complaint Friday with a judicial commission, seeking sanctions against a Harris County felony court judge because of comments he made to the Houston Chronicle about black defendants.
San Antonio, Dallas Primaries Could Usher in Prosecutors Who Promise a More Equal Criminal Justice System
Reformers have targeted Texas primary races where candidates promise bail reform and jail diversion.
Commissioners, criminal justice advocates quarrel about funding of Travis Co. women's jail
A majority of facilities at the Travis County Correction Complex need major infrastructure upgrades. Nineteen of 27 buildings fail functional, mechanical, and architectural ratings, according to the Planning and Budget Office. A two-year analysis resulted in the 2016 master plan with recommendations on renovation and expansion.
Travis County commissioners delay vote on women’s jail expansion
When Travis County commissioners approved the 2018 budget in September that included about $6.6 million to design a new women’s facility in the Del Valle jail, County Judge Sarah Eckhardt insisted, over the cries of criminal justice reform advocates, that it would not mean more beds overall but that more would be allocated to women.
Read the rest of this article at the Austin American-Statesman.
The False Promise of Bail Reform in Dallas County: Debate Continues While People Languish in Jail
For five days, 47-year-old Shannon Daves sat in solitary confinement in a Dallas County jail because she couldn’t afford to pay $500 bail.