Drug use and addiction is growing in Texas and getting younger, but current pushes by state leaders to attack the issue by reducing supply will have little effect on the problem, advocates say. Currently, methamphetamine use continues to be the biggest drug threat in Texas, but the prevalence of fentanyl is quickly growing, said Eduardo Chávez, who leads the Drug Enforcement Administration's Dallas Field Division.

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In Florida, the list of 20,000-plus banned books includes Nutrition For Dummies and PCs For Dummies.

From politicians of all stripes to celebrities like Kim Kardashian — and a cross-section of Texans — supporters of Melissa Lucio are urging the state of Texas not to execute her later this month. That was the message at a rally Thursday night in Dallas.

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Today, the Texas Center for Justice and Equity (TCJE) released a new report, “Reversing the War on Drugs in Texas: Prioritizing REAL Public Health and Safety for Texans.” The report, released during National Public Health Week, details the failures of the state’s existing drug policy and outlines solutions that decriminalize drug use and prioritize health and dignity for drug users. 

As we end Women’s History Month, its important to remember that we have an opportunity on a daily basis to honor the many generations of trailblazing women who have helped shape our lives today. For philanthropy, every day is a good day to examine its own support of these leaders and institutions, especially women-led organizations on the frontlines of change.

Abilene attorneys Blizzard and Zimmerman are co-sponsoring the first "Reentry Coalition Expunction Clinic in Abilene." This event is Friday, April 29, 2022, from 9 am until 4 pm. There will be two sessions that day one is in the morning and the second in the afternoon.

Read the rest of this article from KEAN Radio.

During the Cost of Reading in Prisons: Book Censorship and E-Reader Tablets In Carceral Institutions, a panel of advocates for prison inmates outlined the struggle to provide incarcerated people with access to reading materials—as well as the benefits and mounting challenges facing the introduction of digital reading devices into prisons.

On April 2, a group of formerly incarcerated and justice system-impacted Texans will convene in Dallas. The event, “From Prison to Power: Finding Your Voice After Incarceration,” is organized by the Texas Center for Justice and Equity’s Statewide Leadership Council (SLC) and partners

Read the rest of this press release here.

On this episode, we’re talking about America’s high rate of recidivism – with nearly 80% of those incarcerated returning to prison after five years – and what can be done to reduce this figure.

Read the rest of this transcript or listen to the episode from the Access & Opportunity podcast.

In the two years since Harris County reached a landmark settlement on misdemeanor bail reform, a picture of the impacts of those reforms is becoming abundantly clear. Recidivism rates have been flat. Racial disparities have narrowed. And, as two years’ worth of data show, numbers of misdemeanor cases in Harris County are steadily declining.