Tag Archives: juvenile justice

One small gun loophole may get closed

Posted on March 9, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Take your wins where you can find them. Texas lawmakers are working to plug a gap in a 2009 law that was meant to keep people with a history of serious mental health issues from legally acquiring firearms. Bipartisan legislation … Continue reading →

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The gaps in Texas’ background check law

Posted on August 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

From Pro Publica: In the spring of 2009, Elliott Naishtat persuaded his colleagues in the Texas Legislature to pass a bill that he believed would require the state to report court-ordered mental health hospitalizations for Texans of all ages to … Continue reading →

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Border and immigration news roundup

Posted on July 11, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Same deal, too much news, yadda yadda yadda… As Abbott orders state police to return migrants to border, critics on the right say it’s not enough. Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday authorized state law enforcement to return migrants suspected of … Continue reading →

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The next frontier in criminal justice reform

Posted on February 3, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We need to lock up fewer kids for bad reasons. Hundreds of juveniles are jailed in Harris County often for weeks at a time for infractions as minor as failing drugs tests, violating curfews, running away or failing to attend … Continue reading →

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Decriminalizing truancy

Posted on April 3, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This is important. Senate Bill 106, filed by Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, would make major overhauls to current truancy law, including referring students to a civil court that hears truancy cases rather than a criminal court. Under current law, children … Continue reading →

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Complaining about the public defender office

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

At least one judge doesn’t like the new Harris County Public Defenders office. “In short there is no evidence that a public defender’s office can be of any benefit to the Harris County Juvenile Justice system,” state District Judge John … Continue reading →

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Juvenile justice in Harris County

Posted on June 8, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Is rather an oxymoron, it seems. Apparently, the process for certifying juveniles to be tried as adults, which according to the DA’s office is supposed to be only done on “the worst of the worst”, is a mere formality. In … Continue reading →

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