Posted on · Prisons, jails and detention centers have much higher coronavirus case and fatality rates than the general public. But attitudes toward inmates mean bank tellers may get vaccinated before they do.
Posted on · On Friday's Houston Matters: Education updates, concerns about jail populations, whether our current economic crisis will be a recession or a depression, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of the week's news, and lessons from the 1918 flu epidemic.
Posted on · On Thursday's Houston Matters: COVID-19 and pregnancy, the effect on jails and prisons, how courts have adapted, tips for staying physically active, and our monthly film segment, The Bigger Picture.
Posted on · More women are finding themselves in Texas prisons and jails, and one criminal justice reform group is urging lawmakers and local officials to enact policies to stop that trend
Posted on · This week (March 30-April 1, 2017), the Rothko Chapel is hosting a symposium on issues related to criminal justice. The event is called An Act of Justice: Undoing the Legacy of Mass Incarceration and focuses on the harmful effects of mass incarceration on individuals, families, communities and the nation. There will be workshops, panels and […]
Posted on · A recent report from the U.S. Department of Education says over the past three decades, state and local spending on prisons and jails has risen more than three times faster than spending on elementary and secondary education. The disparities are far greater in Texas, where prison spending grew at nearly eight times the rate of […]
Posted on · In the race for Harris County Sheriff, both the incumbent, Sheriff Ron Hickman, and his challenger, Ed Gonzalez, agree there are serious problems with the Harris County Jail. But they differ on how to address them. Much is being said about what's wrong with the local lockup, so News 88.7’s Florian Martin decided to take […]
Posted on · Following a high-profile case where a rape victim was jailed, advocates for the mentally ill are asking Harris County to improve training for prosecutors and deputies. This comes as the sheriff’s department handles a growing number of cases involving people with psychiatric issues.
Posted on · The Houston Chronicle recently reported that there have been five deaths in the last year at the Harris County Jail during Sheriff Ron Hickman's tenure. The most recent death — due to head trauma — happened while the inmate was being processed in a holding cell. The incident has sparked an inquiry from the U.S […]
Posted on · A lot can happen in a week. Some of it good. Some of it bad. Some of it downright ugly. When faced with intriguing developments in the week's news, we turn to our rotating panel of "non-experts" to parse The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of it all. On this edition, we discuss: Harris […]
Posted on · Sheriff Ron Hickman was recently criticized for reducing internal jail inspectors and disbanding a proactive internal affairs squad at the Harris County Jail. The Harris County Sheriff’s office has said that these changes could actually speed up investigations, and the reassignment of inspectors will put more responsibility on first-line jail supervisors. And these are just […]
Posted on · State officials will begin holding hearings next month on jail suicides.
Posted on · A recent study finds not enough prisoners receive adequate mental health treatment while incarcerated. We talk with the study’s author, Dr. Jennifer Reingle from the Division of Epidemiology, Human Genetics and Environmental Sciences at the UTHealth School of Public Health. We also hear from Harris County Jail Medical Director Dr. Michael Seale about protocols for […]