Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Major development: Business lobby backs criminal justice reforms

›
The Austin Statesman's Mike Ward points to a major development on the criminal justice reform front: The entry of the Texas Association ...
13 comments:

Conservatives critique overcriminalization and the environment, but can't have it both ways

›
The Texas Public Policy Foundation last month published a new report (pdf) by Marc Levin and Vikrant Reddy focused on the criminalization o...
1 comment:

Fewer members on Corrections Committee, but who will be chair?

›
Looking at the new Texas House rules , I noticed a couple of changes that may interest Grits readers: The size of the Corrections Committee ...
6 comments:

Southern states pushing de-incarceration envelope

›
Recent legislation in other southern states offer possibilities for sentencing reform that perhaps could be replicated by the 83rd Texas Leg...

Prosecution failed to dispute expert testimony at habeas hearing on arson science

›
Dallas News editorialist Sharon Grigsby has a blog post about Ed Graf's habeas hearing in Waco last week, complementing Waco Tribune-He...
Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Initial thoughts on draft criminal justice budgets: Fables from La-la land

›
Let's take a first-cut look at implications for the criminal justice system in the Texas House and Senate draft budgets released yesterd...
13 comments:

Habeas writ challenges infamous Austin 'ritual abuse' case

›
The Austin Chronicle and the Austin Statesman both have coverage of a substantive habeas appeal filed by Austin attorney Keith Hampton on ...
4 comments:
Monday, January 14, 2013

Austin PD arrest, use of force rates much higher than comparably sized towns

›
The Statesman on Sunday published a lengthy feature with several interesting sidebars related to use of force by Austin PD officers, which h...
6 comments:

Tuff on crime getting tough on Waco taxpayers

›
In McLennan County, judges and county officials spoke last week with unusual candor about the economic costs of District Attorney Abel Reyna...
5 comments:
Sunday, January 13, 2013

'Are some cities built to encourage drunk driving?' I'm talking to you, Houston

›
The Atlantic's Cities blog posed the question this week, " Are some cities built to encourage drunk driving? " Then Unfair Par...
13 comments:

Roundup: Big Brother online, little brother on your cell phone

›
A number of recent items related to electronic privacy, or the lack thereof, merit Grits readers' attention: What cops get from Facebo...
1 comment:
Saturday, January 12, 2013

SCOTUS to review Texas holding that defendant silence can be taken as 'substantive evidence of guilt'

›
Via SCOTUSBlog we learn that, "The Supreme Court agreed on Friday to decide a major case on the right to remain silent — a case testi...
17 comments:
Friday, January 11, 2013

Woodworking program launched at TJJD's Mart facility

›
The Waco Tribune Herald has an item today on a woodworking program at the Texas Juvenile Justice Department facility in Mart recently launch...
15 comments:

First case under consideration in Texas arson review

›
The Dallas Morning News editorial board offered praise this week for the arson review being conducted by the state fire marshal and my emplo...
1 comment:

First MSM coverage of push to require warrants for GPS tracking by law enforcement

›
The Dallas News today has coverage (" Texas civil liberties advocates  seek limits on law enforcement tracking cell phones ," Jan....
6 comments:

Smith County prosecutors smeared Kerry Cook, destroyed, withheld evidence

›
At the Texas Tribune, Brandi Grissom has the latest on Kerry Max Cook's pursuit of exoneration and the continuing misrepresentations by...
6 comments:
Thursday, January 10, 2013

Prosecutors 'double down' on evidence tampering, now can 'go for broke' knowing judges could bail them out

›
Recently I'd noticed a remarkable December dissent (pdf) by Justice Patrick Pirtle of the Amarillo 7th Court of Appeals which opined: ...
13 comments:

SCOTUS seems ready to require warrants for DWI blood draws; recent Texas statutes implicated

›
Judging from the tone of oral arguments (pdf) at the Supreme Court yesterday, it appears the justices will likely end up requiring a formal...
6 comments:

Report: More TX drug arrests, stagnant diversion funds could soon fill up prisons

›
A new report from our friends at the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition calls for expanded access to drug treatment services, reported the Tex...
1 comment:
Wednesday, January 09, 2013

SCOTUS refused to consider standards for relief in actual innocence claims

›
The US Supreme Court has consistently refused to address whether convicting an innocent person violates their due process rights, and in a h...
9 comments: