What We're Reading
News that caught our attention or cited the Texas Justice Initiative from across the Lone Star State and beyond.
Prisoners in 2020 — Statistical Tables
Published on January 1, 2022A new report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics reveals that deaths in U.S. prisons increased 46% from 2019 to 2020.
DOJ Can Improve Publication of Use of Force Data and Oversight of Excessive Force Allegations
Published on December 7, 2021The nonpartisan U.S. Government Accountability Office analyzed the collection and dissemination of data on law enforcement's use of force and found quite a bit of room for improvement.
Locked Up And Left To Die
Published on November 1, 2021Reporters Michael Barajas and Sophie Novack report on the Texas Rangers' death investigations for the hundreds of people who've died in Texas jails, revealing, "how Texas' patchwork regulatory system repeatedly fails to ensure safe conditions behind bars."
Some States Are Cloaking Prison COVID Data
Published on October 27, 2021Stateline reporter Michael Ollove digs into data on COVID-19 in Texas' prisons, and specifically, on the difference between the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's dashboard and TJI's data, which comes from state-mandated custodial death reports.
Prison staff death toll spikes after state relaxes coronavirus precautions behind bars
Published on October 7, 2021Lauren McGaughy reports on the rise of COVID-19-related deaths of staff members at Texas prisons – there were 13 fatalities last month alone, marking "the deadliest month for prison staff since the pandemic began."