Details emerge of new Texas Office of Capital Writs

I received a press release notifying me of this interview with one of the organizers of Texas' Office of Capital Writs which is scheduled to launch later this year:

Details emerge of new Texas Office of Capital Writs

HOUSTON -- A new office designed to provide qualified legal assistance to people who receive the death penalty in Texas was the focus of an interview on the Prison Show Friday with attorney Philip Wischkaemper that is available on the website of KPFT FM.

Wischkaemper is a seasoned capital defense attorney in Lubbock and a member of a panel screening applicants for director of the new Texas Office of Capital Writs. In the half-hour interview, he explained how the office will work, issues of funding, and the post-conviction litigation problems it is designed to address.

The interview may be heard by going to http://www.kpft.org > Programming > Program Archive, scrolling to "The Prison Show, Friday, March 12, 2010, 9:00 pm," and clicking Play or Download. The file will be online for about eight weeks. [Ed note: Audio file is here.]

A law passed last year created the Texas Office of Capital Writs with an initial budget of $1 million. It will begin operation on the Sept. 1 start of the 2011 fiscal year.

The interview was broadcast live on KPFT FM 90.1, a flagship station of the non-profit Pacifica Radio Network. Ray Hill is host and founder of the weekly Prison Show, on the air for 30 years.