TCJC Blog

04/16/2018

Guest Blog: Tarra Simmons is an inspiration to those in need of a second chance

Last November, I flew to Washington state to support Tarra Simmons; a woman who, until then, I’d only known through Facebook and mutual friends. She and I have many things in common, not the least of which is having spent time in prison.

Tarra graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Dean’s Medal and received the coveted Skadden Fellowship, which is only rewarded to a handful of law students each year and provides recipients who plan... Read more >

03/12/2018

TCJC Launches the “Justice for Women” Campaign

My mother is a survivor of domestic abuse and sexual assault. Her method of coping with the trauma she experienced was to never stop moving. Literally. When I was growing up, we moved over and over again—14 times during my high school years alone. If, instead, her method of coping had been to self-medicate with alcohol or drugs, there is no doubt in my mind that she would be in prison.

Very little separates my... Read more >

03/05/2018

Long Overdue: Texas Should Prioritize Safer Schools Through Restorative Justice, Not Zero Tolerance

TCJC’s Jay Jenkins was recently quoted in an article by NBC News about Dennis Rivera Sarmiento, a high school student who was arrested in Houston and later placed in immigration detention. Allegedly, a female classmate called him a racial slur and threw a sports drink at him, resulting in an altercation between the two students. Dennis tried to report the incident to a Houston ISD police officer but, instead of receiving help, he was... Read more >

02/09/2018

Join Our Team!

Are you ready to help transform Texas’ youth and criminal justice systems?
Do you have first-hand experience that could inform our work and advance our mission? 
If so, the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition could be the place for you!

If you haven’t heard, we’ve opened our search for a Communications Manager!  We want to help change the narrative about what real public safety should mean for... Read more >

Scales of Justice
02/05/2018

Must Read: Bail System Promotes Profit, Not Justice

This is a MUST READ op-ed if you want to understand why bail reform is so important: Cash bail system promotes profit, not justice. Written by the folks at Right2Justice, this piece brilliantly summarizes what’s at stake in Houston’s bail process – your money for your liberty.  Those who make money off the system don’t want that to change.  But for those who can’t afford bail, regardless of guilt or innocence, losing their liberty... Read more >

01/23/2018

Formerly Incarcerated Woman Speaks on Behalf of More Than 12,000 Incarcerated Women at the Austin Women’s March

Over the weekend, thousands of people took to the streets of Austin for the 2018 Women’s March. One of those marching was Lauren Johnson. Lauren is many things. Among them, she is a mother, an advocate, and a formerly incarcerated woman.

On very short notice, Lauren agreed to speak at the Austin Women’s March on behalf of the more than 12,000 women currently incarcerated in Texas. Because those women could not be there to march... Read more >

11/20/2017

Abuse & Neglect of Kids Reported in a Texas Youth Facility: We Need Urgent Reform

Earlier this month, thanks to coverage from The Dallas Morning News and the Houston Chronicle, information came to light about the Gainesville State School, one of Texas’ five remaining state secure detention facilities for youth: Incarcerated kids had attempted suicide, and staff had been engaging in sexual misconduct with some youth. Then, on Friday, Dallas News exposed more information about issues at the Gainesville facility.

According to that article, Fights, Sex, Drugs:... Read more >

11/16/2017

Texans are Battling Addiction – Let’s Help Them Win the Fight

Texas was recently awarded $27.4 million from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to combat opioid use disorders. The funding is absolutely critical to expanding treatment capacity in Texas. For low-income people in need of detox or treatment in Texas, they are likely to wait nearly five weeks for opioid therapy services – a period of time when they are at grave risk of overdose. The new funding will create new capacity to... Read more >

11/10/2017

Texas Gets National Attention—For Failing on Pretrial

In June of this year, the Vera Institute of Justice published “Out of Sight: The Growth of Jails in Rural America,” listing the counties and parishes across the country with the highest rates of pretrial incarceration. Of the top 10 counties with the highest rates of pretrial incarceration, four are Texas counties—more than any other state. They include the following counties: Limestone (7), Dimmit (5), Garza (4), and Kent (3).

Then, this month, the... Read more >