Last year, 801 people died in alcohol related traffic fatalities in the state of Texas. This number has climbed over the past several years. In 2009, Texas had the most alcohol related fatalities of any state in the country. These numbers have pushed lawmakers to take more aggressive steps in getting drunk drivers off the road, including mandatory blood draws. [Read more…]
Harris County Stops Prosecuting Crack Possession, Peeves Cops
If you are caught with less than one gram of crack-cocaine, it is a crime. But if you are caught in Harris County, you’ll likely be let off with nothing more than a stern warning and a dirty look from the police. This is because Harris County District Attorney Pat Lykos has stopped prosecuting for such offenses, an action that has the police up in arms. [Read more…]
Former Dallas Crime Lab Worker Campaigns for an Audit
Dr. Chris Nulf worked for the Dallas County Crime lab for a little over a year. In that time, he says he saw inconsistent practices and poor evidence handling procedures. He sent anonymous complaints to the Texas Forensic Sciences Commission while he was employed there and continues to speak out today. But nothing has been done and the Dallas lab remains one that hasn’t come under review by the commission to date. [Read more…]
Lawmakers Change Police Photo Lineup Procedures
Early last month we blogged about pending legislation regarding the photo lineup procedures practiced by law enforcement departments across the state. That legislation passed and now Texas police departments have to revamp the way they’ve done lineups for years, all in an effort to reduce the number of innocent people being identified by witnesses. [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…]
Travis County Offers Unique Felony Deferred Prosecution Program
The only one of its kind in the state, a deferred prosecution program in Travis County allows a second chance for some fortunate and remorseful felony-accused defendants. Though not all prosecutors are supportive of this move, the Travis County DA stands by her decision to screen some first-time, nonviolent offenders into programs that save them from a criminal record. [Read more…]
Harris County DA Turns Justice Into Game
The very same District Attorney who was elected on a platform that said “Judges aren’t referees, and justice is not a game” has turned her office into a playing field, offering prosecutors rewards for taking cases to trial rather than settling them through plea bargains. In 2008 she said convictions shouldn’t be “about the counting of scalps”, according to the Houston Chronicle. [Read more…]
Former Texas Convict Shares Story of Mistaken Eyewitness Testimony
Although the woman who was raped in 1983 initially told police Michael Anthony Green wasn’t one of the four who hurt her, she later changed her tune when Green was in a lineup. This changed account would end up sending Green, then 18, to prison for 27 years. [Read more…]
Dallas County Has Alternative Sentencing Options
The Dallas County alternative sentencing option is being heralded a success for a variety of reasons. Not only do the defendants prefer their home to a jail cell, the county can appreciate the hundreds of thousands of dollars the program has saved in its first year.
It’s nearly been a year since the county began the program and it’s already saved $366,016, according to the Dallas Morning News. And the cost of the program—already paid for. The County had budgeted only $200,000 to get the program on its feet, well surpassed by nearly two-fold. [Read more…]
Flawed Eyewitness Identification At Fault In Two Recent High Profile Cases
Two cases of DNA exoneration in the Houston area is bringing the issue of eyewitness identification into the light. Two men who served a combined total of 46 years behind bars for offenses they didn’t commit can largely blame eyewitness identification for their convictions. [Read more…]
