Chelsea Richardson was sentenced to die six years ago. She’s been on a Texas death row ever since, working on appeals. Now she may have a chance to live out here life and even potentially walk free again one day. [Read more…]
Compensation Doesn’t Come Easy for Texas’ Wrongfully Convicted
A bill sits on Governor Rick Perry’s desk that would make it a little easier for those who were wrongfully convicted to collect compensation for the years they spent behind bars, serving time for something they didn’t do. Until then, there are a few different cases that have made headlines in the past month because of the struggles such freed men now face when trying to regain their life on the outside. [Read more…]
Texas Lawmakers Consider Justice Bills
The Texas Legislature has had its plate full this session with budgetary issues. But a stack of criminal justice bills has also piled up, many of which offer promising reform and some of which may even be passed. [Read more…]
Texas Juvenile Justice Reforms Promote Treatment Over Incarceration
A bill that changes how the state approaches juvenile justice matters was signed last week by Governor Rick Perry. The bill looks not only to save money but to save children from a life of crime, something more likely to happen if they are locked up in an institution. And perhaps surprisingly, it was a bill that received overwhelming support from both major political parties. [Read more…]
Prosecutorial Misconduct Brings Texas Death Row Inmate New Sentence
The United States Supreme Court overturned the sentence of Delma Banks Jr. in 2004. He had previously been found guilty and sentenced to die in the murder of 16 year old Richard Whitehead over 30 years ago. Now, as his case gets a new sentencing hearing, his attorneys argue the court should bar prosecutor James Elliot from the case, since he was the initial prosecutor, now rebuked by the High Court of the land. [Read more…]
Houston News “Hottest” Sex Offender List
When you think of sex offenders, you rarely think of attractiveness or appeal. For many people, this would be the absolute last thing on their mind. But a writer for the Houston Press Blogs decided it would be a good idea to publish a story on the “10 Hottest” female sex offenders in Texas. [Read more…]
Houston Police Pull Over Blacks At Higher Rate
Data released this week from the Houston Police Department shows that they are pulling over blacks at a higher rate than any other racial group. But the department, and others, caution that this isn’t necessarily evidence of profiling. [Read more…]
Proposed Bill Targets Invasive TSA Searches
A proposed law in Texas would make it a felony to “intentionally touch someone’s private areas” unless there was probable cause that the person had something illegal concealed there. This would apply to searches on top of the clothing as well and is an obvious response to the many complaints heard across the country about invasive pat downs in airports by the TSA. [Read more…]
Crime Tip: Don’t Gloat on Facebook
This isn’t the first time someone’s been caught, at least in part, because of their status messages and photos on a popular social networking site. But the story does serve as another cautionary reminder not to gloat about your latest criminal activities on Facebook. [Read more…]
Texas Jails Hold Thousands With Untreated Mental Illness
The mentally ill seem to have drawn the short straw again this year as the state stands to cut funding to many community care programs, treatment, and counseling organizations. The state is already ranked 49th in terms of spending on mental health and it’s only going to get worse. With fewer and fewer community resources for the mentally ill, the police and local jails are left dealing with issues they simply aren’t equipped to handle. [Read more…]
