Category: News

Is the Automation of the Criminal Justice System a Good Thing

Technology often makes life easier, but is it always a good thing? Computers have become such an integral part of daily life that it’s hard to imagine life without them. It’s also hard to believe that just a few decades ago there was no email or internet. Today, however, technology plays a major role in…

SCOTUS Might Hear Double Jeopardy Case

The Court’s decision is likely to have a significant impact on the dual sovereignty exception to the Double Jeopardy Clause. Double jeopardy is a subject most people have heard of but don’t always fully understand. According to news reports, the Supreme Court of the United States may be set to hear a double jeopardy case…

dallas police

Dallas police chiefs have been accused in the past of downplaying the extent of gang activity in the city. However, the interim Police Chief David Pughes appears to have broken ranks by publicly acknowledging that gang activity is driving up violent crime in the city, reported WFAA. Violent crime is up just over four percent…

Police Violence Is Not Just an American Problem

Police shootings in the U.S. revealed that one-fourth involved someone with a mental illness. Police violence and misconduct is well-documented in the United States. It’s an issue that receives a lot of media attention — sometimes so much so that it’s easy to wonder if other countries experience such serious social and criminal justice issues….

rick perry

Rick Perry, the former Texas governor and current U.S. Energy Secretary, has endorsed two proposed criminal justice reforms currently in the Texas legislature that would help people who have been charged or convicted of crimes. Writing in the Houston Chronicle, Perry touted reforms that took place during his tenure as governor that helped reduce Texas’…

colleges

Legislators are seeking tougher measures to combat sexual assault on Texas college campuses, but there is a lack of consensus about how to proceed. State Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, submitted Senate Bill 576. The legislation would require school employees and student leaders to “promptly” report instances of sexual assault, sexual harassment, stalking or family violence…

texas

Texas is one of just seven states nationally that treats 17-year-old offenders as adults in the criminal justice system. That may be about to change if a bill to raise the age of criminal responsibility becomes law. A bill to raise the age from 17 to 18 was passed in the House last week, reported…

forensic science

The announcement by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, that he will end an independent panel set up to raise scientific standards in forensics, has provoked a backlash. Sessions announced this month that he has suspended a Justice Department review of widespread flaws in FBI forensic expert court testimony. The announcement comes on the back of…

breaking handcuffs

The number of exonerations in the United States rose again in 2016. Many of the wrongful convictions were in Texas and more than half of them were related to cases in which no crime was committed. The annual report from the National Registry of Exonerations found the number of exonerations rose to 166 last year,…

hate crime

The scope of hate crimes in Texas will expand if a bill to make all attacks on first responders hate crimes becomes law. The bill introduced in the Texas legislature would increase penalties for attacks against any first responder, including police, firefighters and EMTs, and make them hate crimes. Texas governor Greg Abbott spoke in…