TCJE in the News


Press Contact: For all media inquiries, please contact Madison Kaigh, Communications Manager, at mkaigh@TexasCJE.orgor (512) 441-8123, ext. 108.


 

Dealing with the small stuff

We're proud of Harris County's growth, but we shouldn't be proud of our crowded jails. In Harris County, too many people are locked up for nonviolent crimes. 

Read the rest of this article at the Houston Chronicle.

Whole Foods' decision to stop using prison labor is a step in the wrong direction

Fellow foodies, here’s a question for your conscience: Do you wonder whose hands helped bring your meal to the grocery?

Read the rest of the article at the Kansas City Star.

Abbott Doles Out $133M for Law Enforcement, Crime Victims

Gov. Greg Abbott's criminal justice division is doling out $133 million in grants to local law enforcement agencies and victims' assistance programs across seven Texas regions, he announced Friday.

Read the rest of this article at The Texas Tribune.

Lawmaker Mulling Hearing on Juvenile Justice

State Sen. John Whitmire might call a hearing and seek leadership changes at the Texas Juvenile Justice Department after multiple reports of youths fighting, climbing onto rooftops and running away from staff in large numbers at youth correctional facilities.

Read the rest of this article at The Texas Tribune.

Texas Tribune event tackles future of criminal justice

In an effort to give people a perspective of what the future holds, the Texas Tribune is hosting a series of public events across the state that where lawmakers and analysts will cover eight major policy areas such as criminal justice, energy, the environment, health, higher and public education, immigration and transportation.

Read the rest of this article at The Item.

The Texas Criminal Justice Coalition Welcomes New Executive Director, Leah Pinney

Effective today, the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition (TCJC) announces Leah Pinney as Executive Director. The organization’s previous Executive Director, Dr. Ana Yáñez-Correa, will be leading the Criminal Justice program at the Washington, DC-based Public Welfare Foundation.

Read the rest of this press release here.

Jenkins, Neill: Harris County should stop jailing small-time drug offenders

Drug policy in the U.S. is changing. After more than 40 years of a War on Drugs that did little to curb supply or demand of illegal highs, jurisdictions across the nation are reconsidering their approach to drugs and drug users, with special emphasis on finding alternatives to incarceration.

Read the rest of this article at the Houston Chronicle.

New Report: Expanding Harris County’s Successful Drug Diversion Program Will Further Improve Public Safety Outcomes & Save Taxpayer Dollars

In October 2014, Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson partnered with local law enforcement to establish the First Chance Intervention Program, a rehabilitative diversion program for individuals with first-time, Class B misdemeanor marijuana possession offenses. Today, the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition (TCJC) and Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy released a report examining the First Chance Intervention Program and the potential societal, systemic, and financial benefits that would come with expanding the program to other offenses.

Expanding Harris County’s successful drug diversion program will further improve public safety outcomes and save taxpayer dollars

In October 2014, Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson partnered with local law enforcement to establish the First Chance Intervention Program, a rehabilitative diversion program for individuals with first-time, Class B misdemeanor marijuana possession offenses.

Read the rest of this article at the Houston Chronicle.

UT study finds longer incarceration for girls, but why remains unclear

When Erin Espinosa was a probation officer in Texas, she often found herself between a rock and a hard place when she had to decide whether to keep a girl detained after committing a crime or return her on probation to a troubled home.

Read the rest of this article at myStatesman.