Tag Archives: Texas Department of Criminal Justice

TDCJ, here’s your moment in the sexual harassment spotlight

Posted on June 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Please learn from it. More than a decade after a sexual assault scandal rocked the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, the agency is still a “boys’ club” plagued by sexual harassment and a culture that makes it difficult for women … Continue reading →

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The slow decline of the death penalty in Texas

Posted on August 29, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe a little. Perhaps nothing symbolizes this state’s swagger over being tough on crime like “Old Sparky,” an electric chair that was used to execute 361 inmates and is now the centerpiece of a prison museum. It sits just minutes … Continue reading →

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We really should comply with the Prison Rape Elimination Act

Posted on May 7, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s the right thing to do, and it’s the law. During a House County Affairs Committee hearing Monday, local sheriffs said the most problematic provision of the 2003 law is a requirement that minors be housed separately from adult prison … Continue reading →

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Perry says Texas will not comply with the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act

Posted on April 2, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Amazing the number of laws Rick Perry refuses to obey, isn’t it? More than a decade after the Prison Rape Elimination Act unanimously passed Congress, federal standards for implementation of the law have been finalized. Now, Gov. Rick Perry and … Continue reading →

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The execution drug shortage

Posted on October 12, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I find myself morbidly fascinated by this. Forced to repeatedly alter the formula of its lethal injections as drug makers curb sales to executioners, Texas prison officials are stockpiling an array of alternate pharmaceuticals, none of which yet has been … Continue reading →

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Whitmire weighs in on Harris jail population

Posted on October 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

State Sen. John Whitmire has pushed back on some of the explanations given for the recent uptick in the Harris County jail population, beginning with the claim that it’s due to state jails taking longer than usual to pick up … Continue reading →

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We have to worry about jail overcrowding again

Posted on September 28, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Not good. After a nearly two-year hiatus, the Harris County jail population is nearing capacity, prompting officials to again consider whether to ship some inmates to out-of-state lockups. The latest jail population report shows the total number of detainees dropped … Continue reading →

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Hard times in the prison building business

Posted on April 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Bad news for the mostly small counties that are left holding the bag on their bond debt, good news for the rest of us. The dusty West Texas ranch town of Anson, once known for its no-dancing law made famous … Continue reading →

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You get the policies you voted for

Posted on August 5, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I hate to sound like a broken record, but these people need to quit complaining about getting what they voted for. Midland County officials are appealing to the state for reconsideration after it stripped $1.2 million in funding from the … Continue reading →

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Sugar Land prison to be closed

Posted on May 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. Lawmakers trying to settle on the state’s budget for the next two years have agreed to shutter a 102-year-old state prison in Sugar Land. Under the proposal adopted this week by negotiators from both chambers of the Legislature, … Continue reading →

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Why aren’t we tracking this?

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This sounds like a job for the Legislature. The number of parolees being tracked with ankle monitors in Texas has mushroomed to nearly 3,000 in the last two years. About 600 reside in Harris County. The county also has 150 … Continue reading →

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Closing prisons needs to be on the table

Posted on January 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From Change.org: Texas’ prison population is shrinking. The state has made great strides in recent years to offer community alternatives to long sentences. But with a budget crisis looming, state prison officials are saying they won’t consider closing a single … Continue reading →

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Some budget cuts can be a force for good

Posted on June 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

If there’s one place where something good can come out of the current budget mess, it’s with the criminal justice system, where recent trends, economic realities, and the hard-won lessons of 2003 are contributing to an environment where good policies … Continue reading →

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What happens to exonerees?

Posted on May 28, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We know that quite a few people who had been in prison have been exonerated and freed in recent years, and we know that a fund was created by the Lege last year to give them some compensation for their … Continue reading →

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Outsourcing inmates

Posted on August 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We know Sheriff Adrian Garcia has a plan to fix problems with the Harris County jails. He’s been up front about what he wants to do, and he’s helped create the position of “jail czar”, who is tasked with finding … Continue reading →

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Not everybody isn’t hiring, Part Deux

Posted on July 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Bad economic times are good times for Texas prisons to fill their vacancies. Texas has just 1,262 correctional officer jobs now open, compared with more than 3,700 openings just over a year ago. Officials say more people have become guards … Continue reading →

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Innocence, exoneration, and compensation

Posted on March 31, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve seen all of the stories about inmates being freed from jail in Texas after however many years inside, the result of DNA evidence proving they could not have committed the crime for which they were convicted. But what happens … Continue reading →

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