Conditions of Confinement

Texas Criminal Justice Coalition Issues Statement on Bail Bill Rushed Through Senate Committee, Raises Concerns for Public Input During Special Texas Legislative Session

Texas Criminal Justice Coalition Issues Statement on Bail Bill Rushed Through Senate Committee,  Raises Concerns for Public Input During Special Texas Legislative Session

On the first day of the Texas Legislature’s second special session of 2021, the Senate suspended legislative 24-hour posting rules for the announcement of a public hearing. Just hours after the new special session began, the Senate Jurisprudence committee held a hearing on Senate Bill 6 and Senate Joint Resolution 3, bills that will affect hundreds of thousands of Texans.

As COVID-19 Spreads, a Fight to Shutter Parts of Dallas County Jail

As COVID-19 Spreads, a Fight to Shutter Parts of Dallas County Jail

Bette knows the day she started to lose her son. It was eight years ago, when Cole (not his real name) lost his baby girl. Father and daughter had already built a relationship; when Cole talked to his girlfriend’s belly, the baby would kick in reply. “They went to the hospital expecting to take a baby home like we had done with his sister’s son just nine days before,” Bette said by phone in late July. “They get to the hospital, and the baby doesn’t have a heartbeat.”

The vulnerability of females in the juvenile system, Central Texas and beyond

photo

As the number of juvenile females rises, experts are calling for a closer look at juvenile facilities and their poor resource management in addressing the lack of services this population has. The number of girls in U.S. detention centers has risen by 49 percent, according to a report by the Berkeley Center for Criminal Justice; but systems are ill-equipped to address their needs.

When Prisons Locked Down, Prisoners Were Denied Release

When Prisons Locked Down, Prisoners Were Denied Release

When Lorenzo Culbero appeared before the New York parole board in December, nearly 15 years after he was incarcerated and four months before his potential release date, the board deferred its decision for 18 months. Culbero said the board cited his failure to complete a substance use program as one of the reasons for its decision.

Read the rest of this article from The Appeal.

Girls Embracing Mothers offers a chance for formerly incarcerated moms to rebuild relationships with their daughters

Girls Embracing Mothers offers a chance for formerly incarcerated moms to rebuild relationships with their daughters

“No running!” says Diana Lopez, a volunteer at a summer camp organized by the nonprofit Girls Embracing Mothers. You can’t blame the young campers as they make a break for their cabins: The summer heat is finally kicking in, and swimming is the next activity on deck. They’ve already enjoyed archery and spoken-word poetry at the STEM Center of Excellence at Camp Whispering Cedars in southern Dallas.

Dozens of Texans Died of COVID-19 in Prison Despite Being Granted Parole, Report Finds

Dozens of Texans Died of COVID-19 in Prison Despite Being Granted Parole, Report Finds

A new report shows that dozens of Texans have died in prison from COVID-19 despite already being granted parole. Within a year of the coronavirus pandemic, 18 people who had been approved for parole died with the virus before while still in prison, according to a report released Thursday from the University of Texas at Austin's Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs.

Read the rest of this article from Newsweek.

TDCJ: Moving prisoners out of Briscoe Unit to make room for undocumented migrants

TDCJ: Moving prisoners out of Briscoe Unit to make room for undocumented migrants

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice confirmed Thursday the agency has been directed by Gov. Greg Abbott to move prisoners from the Briscoe Unit in Dilley to make room for migrants with low-level offenses. “Beginning on June 16, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) began moving inmates from the Dolph Briscoe Unit in Dilley, Texas, to other facilities with available capacity throughout the state.

Governor Abbott authorizes $250 million down payment for Texas border wall

Governor Abbott authorizes $250 million down payment for Texas border wall

Governor Greg Abbott made several new announcements on Texas’ efforts to build a wall on the southern border with Mexico; including a $250 million down payment, and a letter to President Biden demanding land obtained by the Trump administration for a wall be given to the State.

Read the rest of this article from KCBD.

Commissioners Court Puts Women’s Jail on Ice

Commissioners Court Puts Women’s Jail on Ice

On Tuesday, June 15, the Travis County Commissioners Court voted to delay moving forward with the design of a new women's jail for at least a year. The decision came after more than three hours of testimony from more than 100 callers, including formerly incarcerated women and leaders from Austin Justice Coalition, the Lilith FundTexas Criminal Justice CoalitionTexas Fair Defense ProjectGrassroots Leadership, and other activist organizations.

NAMI Central Texas hosting film screening, panel on America’s mental health crisis

NAMI Central Texas hosting film screening, panel on America’s mental health crisis

NAMI Central Texas is hosting a film screening and panel to jumpstart a discussion about mental health in America. You can sign up here to watch the film “Bedlam” which explores the mental health crisis in America by taking you inside one of the busiest psychiatric emergency rooms, jails, homes and homeless encampments where people struggle with serious mental illness.

Subscribe to Conditions of Confinement