The House sponsor of the Senate’s Sandra Bland Act won’t try to change the bill’s language, after key provisions were taken out in the upper chamber.
Johnathan Silver
Johnathan Silver reported on the state’s criminal justice system for the Tribune from 2015 to 2017. Previously, Johnathan was a Texas Associated Press Managing Editors Buster Haas intern and staff reporter at the Victoria Advocate. A Fort Worth native, Johnathan graduated from The University of Texas at Arlington with bachelor’s degrees in political science and criminal justice – and a graduation mug from The Shorthorn, the campus student newspaper.
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Criminal Justice
Texas House passes bill to outfit officers with bulletproof vests
Senate Bill 12, by state Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, would create and fund a bulletproof vest grant program to outfit approximately 50,000 officers with vests that can withstand rounds from high-caliber firearms.
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Criminal Justice
“Sandra Bland Act” doesn’t address cause of her arrest, family says
The legislation now mostly focuses on mental health issues and county jail operations.
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Criminal Justice
Texas Senate passes Sandra Bland Act
The bill would mandate that county jails divert people with mental health and substance abuse issues toward treatment, make it easier for defendants with a mental illness or intellectual disability to receive a personal bond and require that independent law enforcement agencies investigate jail deaths.
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Criminal Justice
Rep. Dutton: If “raise the age” bill dies in Senate, I’ll kill Senate bills
As a House bill that would raise the age of criminal responsibility from 17 to 18 languishes in the Senate in the final weeks of the legislative session, the bill’s author promises “a funeral” for Senate bills if his bill dies.
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Criminal Justice
After police shoot and kill unarmed teen, Texas lawmakers consider next steps
In the aftermath of the fatal shooting of an unarmed 15-year-old by police on Saturday night, Democrats in the state Capitol have pointed to relevant bills they say could prevent similar deaths.
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Criminal Justice
Sandra Bland Act gets nod from Texas Senate panel
The legislation would mandate that county jails route people with mental health crises and substance abuse issues to treatment and install electronic sensors or cameras to better monitor inmates.
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Criminal Justice
U.S. Supreme Court justices express caution, intrigue in death penalty case
U.S. Supreme Court justices Monday expressed concerns about the caseload federal appeals courts might see if they allow Texas death row inmate Erick Davila another chance in a lower court because of an error his lawyer made in the appeals process.
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Criminal Justice
House passes bill to raise age of criminal responsibility from 17 to 18
The “Raise the Age” bill, would move 17-year-old offenders from the adult criminal justice system to its juvenile justice counterpart beginning 2021.
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Criminal Justice
Texas House panel approves bill to pay for bulletproof vests for police
Senate Bill 12 would create a grant program that would pay for bulletproof vests for all patrol officers in Texas.