Courts & Criminal Justice

A 5th Circuit Court of Appeals decision that dealt a setback to bail reform in Dallas County could have an impact throughout Texas and two other states. And there's even a chance the case could end up before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Bail reform in Dallas County was dealt a setback late Friday, when a federal appeals court vacated an injunction set by a lower court judge. It sent the case back to the district court, telling it to look further into whether federal courts can weigh in at all.

Texans know even less about the COVID-19 situation in county jails than they did last spring – and researchers warn the spread of infection among incarcerated people and staff could put communities at greater risk.

A Texas judge declared a mistrial Friday in the first murder case against a man charged with killing 18 older women in the Dallas area over a two-year span.

Hundreds of people accused of crimes in Dallas County are waiting a trial, languishing in jails because COVID-19 slowed down court operations.

People who’ve been to prison often face significant challenges when they’re released, hitting barriers to jobs, housing and educational opportunities. The justice advocate behind a new tech training program wants women with felony records to be able to thrive when they come home.

A jury convicted Ruel Hamilton in June.

The number of misdemeanor marijuana prosecutions in Dallas County declined from 2018 to 2019, but Black residents continue to be arrested at higher rates, according to a report by SMU's Deason Criminal Justice Reform Center.

An American Airlines flight attendant was hospitalized Wednesday after she was assaulted by a passenger on a coast to coast flight. The airline is taking legal action.

A federal judge on Wednesday ordered Texas to suspend the most restrictive abortion law in the U.S., which since September has banned most abortions in the nation’s second-most populous state.

A report on victims who died at the hands of abusive partners in Tarrant County spotlights a gruesome side effect of the pandemic: a rise in domestic violence.

Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia apologized to Santos Rodriguez’s mother for the young Mexican American boy’s death 48 years ago. Saturday, an annual caravan drove through the city honoring Santos’ life and making sure his death is not forgotten.