Texas Criminal Justice Politics Around the Web

A few quick items from around the web deserve Grits readers' attention:

Government as Parent a Bad Idea
At Defending People, Mark Bennett says "Don't use the government to raise your kids."

Convert Prisons Into Art Galleries
Artists plan to convert an old prison building in McKinney into an art gallery and studio space.

History Repeats: First Time as Tragedy, Second Time as Farce
There's an important story to be told about UTMB Galveston actively seeking new corrections healthcare contracts when they've done a notably poor job in the Dallas jail and Texas state prisons. Recently they won the contract for the Galveston County jail, and now they're going to begin providing healthcare at a federal prison in Beaumont. UTMB is aggressively pursuing new corrections contracts when the quality of care they provide often endangers inmates under their care. I'll have more on this in the coming months.

Texas Lawyer Blogs
The State Bar of Texas has a list online of Texas lawyer blogs. Meanwhile Jamie Spencer follows up on his recent tour of criminal law blogs.

Feds Monitor Dallas Jail Health
Now that UTMB no longer runs Dallas' jail healthcare, local officials are left to pick up the pieces under the watchful eye of a federal monitor. Dallas is one of only thirteen jails nationwide receiving such extensive federal oversight.

Prison system failed to protect snitch from prison gang
The Back Gate has the story of a prisoner stabbed 28 times at the Telford Unit after requesting and being refused protection by prison authorities.

Put me out of business, please
The former prosecutor turned criminal defense lawyer at I Was The State pleads for changes in the law that would transform him into an AmWay salesman.

The Conundrum of Faith-Based Initiatives
Prevention Works compares recidivism rates for Texas inmates participating in faith based programs and finds favorable outcomes, raising the question of "how to reconcile this controversial state funding with what we want as a society: to turn our languishing, tax-guzzling inmates into productive (and taxpaying) citizens."