Category: News
A damning report into the way crime is handled in Ferguson, MO., has confirmed that not all local criminal justice systems are equal and some are riddled with bad practices. This month the Justice Department called on Ferguson, Mo., to “overhaul its criminal justice system, declaring that the city had engaged in so many constitutional…
A police operation of an alleged stolen car and monster truck ring has illustrated how a criminal investigation can quickly spiral. On Feb. 26, the Dallas Morning News reported how David Campbell, 57, from Hutchins in Dallas County was accused of stealing a monster truck from a Plano parking lot. Police say he reported the…
Recently the Dallas Morning News reported on how some police office relish the chance to arrest scofflaws during the Great Texas Warrant Roundup “as if it were spring break.” The round-up targets offenders who have evaded low-level violations such as traffic citations. Although these violations do not carry heavy sentences if they are quickly processed,…
A Dallas County District Attorney has been accused of violating a law that states all crime victims have the right to be informed of all proceedings that relate to their case. A report in USA Today described how the Texas Bill of Rights states that crime victims have the right to be informed of all…
Texas has a longstanding reputation for being tough on crime and criminals. It executes more convicts than any other state and has a massive prison population. But now the state is making crime headlines for another initiative in which a softer approach brought in seven years ago appears to have reversed the out-of-control growth of…
When Texas executed Miguel Parades by lethal injection last month, it marked the 10th time the death penalty had been used by the state this year. Texas leads the nation in the number of executions but the use of the death penalty is declining in the Lone Star State. The final execution of the year…
On July 25, 2014 court documents were unsealed accusing longtime Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price and three co-defendants; his longtime assistant Dapheny Fain, two political consultants Kathy Nealy and Christian Campbell of a variety of white collar crimes that abused the public’s trust. Last Friday, Our Man Downtown, and his three co-defendants were brought…
When it comes to the ultimate punishment, Texas sets many unenviable benchmarks. Last month the state made headlines by executing a woman when it put Lisa Coleman to death. The Washington Post reported on how she was the ninth person executed by Texas in 2014. The Lone Star State has executed more people than any…
A summer of civil disturbance in Ferguson, Missouri, after the fatal shooting of a black teenager by a white police officer, appears to have had an effect on how the public view the criminal justice system. A recent survey by the Public Religion Research Institute found Americans of all backgrounds are more likely to see…
Public officials can face numerous criminal charges that would not be brought against members of the public. But there is often a gray area in these matters as demonstrated recently when Texas Governor Rick Perry was indicted by a grand jury on abuse of power charges. He strongly denied the charges. City Council members can…