A Texas case shows that as cameras become more omnipresent, disputes over how such recordings are handled and analyzed are more likely to arise.
Maurice Chammah
Posted in
Criminal Justice
A Peek at a Forgotten Age of Prison Radio in Texas
As the Great Depression was winding down, a variety show broadcast from the state prison in Huntsville began airing on the radio and collecting a devoted audience. A new book collects the stories of the men and women who performed on the show and at the annual Texas Prison Rodeo.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Jailhouse Snitch Claims Secret Deal in Death Case
A second jailhouse informant claims he was offered a secret deal to testify in a death penalty case by former Navarro County prosecutor John Jackson, who has been accused of similar misconduct in the conviction and execution of Cameron Todd Willingham.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Old Convictions, New Science: Texas Tackles Debunked Forensics
A state law granting a new trial in cases where the forensic science was flawed has hit an impediment: What if a field of such science has not been discredited, but an individual scientist makes a mistake?
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Case of “San Antonio Four” Set to Enter its Final Act
Four San Antonio women were convicted of molesting two girls in the 1990s, but one of the girls has since said they were coerced to make false accusations. The women’s case is getting a new look.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Classification of 17-Year-Olds Spurs Criminal Justice Debate
Texas is one of nine states that automatically classify 17-year-olds as adults when they’re accused of crimes. Campaigns to “raise the age” are gathering momentum in some states, and Texas is facing a spirited debate of its own.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
“American Sniper” Trial in Texas Tests Limits of Sympathy for Vets
This week, jury selection began in the trial of Eddie Ray Routh for the murder of Chris Kyle, whose career as a soldier in Iraq (and “the most lethal sniper in U.S. history”) is dramatized in the film “American Sniper.”
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Report: Blind, Deaf, Disabled Inmates Abused in Texas Prison Unit
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is facing a scathing report and several lawsuits contending that correctional staff at a Huntsville prison regularly neglect, abuse and even violently beat prisoners with disabilities.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Court Suspends Lawyer for Death Row Inmate Over Late Filing
The Court of Criminal Appeals has suspended a criminal defense lawyer, arguing that he filed motions to stop executions too late. The move is part of a ongoing feud in Texas between such lawyers and judges who rule on their claims.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
The Slow Death of the Death Penalty
Since capital punishment was reinstated by the Supreme Court in 1976, the cost of carrying out a death penalty trial has risen steadily.