Blog
Many states have taken steps to ensure juvenile offenders in their courts are not slapped with a life sentence before they even reach adulthood. Should a teenager be sentenced to life in prison? It’s a question that has resonated throughout the criminal justice system in recent years. In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that…
It’s terrifying to think that the nation’s most elite federal law enforcement agency could be so wrong on so many cases over such a staggeringly long period of time. Just a few years ago, the FBI admitted that serious flaws in investigatory practices used by its forensics unit led to nearly every examiner giving inaccurate…
The law comes about one year after a devastating attack on Dallas police officers in which five officers were killed. Beginning September 1, 2017, Texas joins a handful of states that have enacted so-called “Blue Lives Matter” laws, which make attacks on law enforcement officials, including judges, a hate crime. Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed…
Severe heat at Texas prisons has been linked to deaths and lawsuits. Now Texas plans to move about 1,000 Texas prisoners to cooler cells. Last week, Texas submitted a plan under a court order to move 1,000 inmates who are sensitive to heat from the Pack Unit near Navasota to other state jails and prisons…
Texas is not known for being lenient on people charged with driving while intoxicated (DWI). Even first time offenders are often hit with heavy sentences not to mention ongoing payments under the Driver Responsibility Program. A new ‘second chance’ law for DWI offenders is a welcome measure that will help offenders get their lives back…
Mistrials happen for a variety of reasons. The Bill Cosby sexual assault case has dominated headlines over the past year. The case is complicated, as it involves thorny questions about statutes of limitations and whether Cosby previously admitted or acknowledged that he engaged in some of the behavior the plaintiffs accuse him of. When the…
Civil asset forfeiture is a controversial tool that was restricted under the Obama administration. It allows police to seize property from defendants before they have been convicted. Under the Trump administration it’s coming back with a vengeance. On July 17, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a new directive on civil asset forfeiture. The directive means…
As PBS reports, the cash bail system is the norm in most states, but it is not without its critics. Everyone had heard the term “bail,” but do you really know what it means? In most jurisdictions in the country, when you’re arrested and charged with a crime, the court has the option to set…
The way the law sees it children don’t have the ability to protect themselves. Getting pulled over for drunk driving is a scary experience and a criminal offense with potentially serious consequences. But what if you’re pulled over with a minor in your car? DWI with a child in the car in Texas takes that…
Shouldn’t the law compensate people who are put behind bars for crimes they didn’t commit? For many people, their worst nightmare is the idea of being locked up for a crime they didn’t commit. Sadly, wrongful convictions happen — and more often than you might think. In 2015, there were 149 exonerations in the United…