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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Pushed out and punished: One woman's story shows how systems are failing black girls
For the first time in a long time, C’alra Bradley felt a glint of hope. It was an unfamiliar feeling for the then-18-year-old whose life had been disrupted and derailed by one roadblock after another. Once an A and B student who loved to read, she was living out of her white 1997 Toyota Avalon, on her own for three years, scrounging to get by.
Texas senator proposes moving all youth in state lockups to shuttered adult jail
After shrinking the population at state-run juvenile lockups, state Sen. John Whitmire wants to move the remaining youth at five facilities to one recently closed adult jail.
HB 344 aims to protect anyone, 17, from being prosecuted as an adult
A new bill could change the way the Texas justice system upholds the law against minors who are a year away from being an adult.
Bill aims to raise age of criminal responsibility
A bill under consideration by The House Committee on Juvenile Justice and Family Issues has the potential to change the juvenile criminal justice system in our state.
New Report Shares Lessons Learned from Youth Justice Visioning Sessions Across Texas
The Texas Criminal Justice Coalition held a series of community visioning sessions across Texas, from July through October 2018, to answer this question: What do young people need to avoid justice system involvement and lead successful lives?
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.
Convicted young, longtime Texas inmates hope Second Look bill could give them a second chance
The first time Michael Tracy skipped school, it was to help plan a robbery. He was 17, and reckless.
12-year-old charged with capital murder spotlights justice system ill-equipped for juveniles
A 12-year-old in Texas has been charged with capital murder after allegedly breaking into the home of a professional boxer and killing him. The boy could face a maximum of 40 years if convicted, a sentence that juvenile justice advocates are hoping he can avoid.
[2019 Session] Eliminate Mandatory Minimum Terms for Determinate Sentences
Policy Background
Determinate sentencing is a hybrid system that allows kids adjudicated of certain offenses to serve a portion of their sentence in the juvenile justice system, with the possibility of being transferred to the adult criminal justice system between the ages of 16 and 19.