jail

Denton County commissioners held off on revising the county’s detention officer referral program Tuesday, which is intended to help the Denton County Sheriff’s Office hire new detention officers by offering a one-time $500 referral incentive.

The Interabang Books co-owner got the idea for an inmate-judged literary prize from France

Thirteen guards from a Texas prison have been fired or resigned after the beating of an inmate that left him hospitalized — likely for the rest of his life. Several eyewitnesses along with former staff said staffing and training issues are leading to more violence. TDCJ denied the incident was due to staffing or training.

A lawsuit filed by former inmates against Smith County, east of Dallas, has prompted others to speak out.

Also, Sheriff Javier Salazar asked commissioners to approve more than $3 million in overtime costs to staff the crowded jail from this past June through September, sparking more debate on how to reduce costs there.

Despite a near 10% rise in jail populations — bringing with it a rise in suicides, assaults and deaths — the governor looks to jail more for longer. Reform advocates call it political.

Since Jacoby Pillow’s death last month, at least three others have died at Harris County Jail. And the year before, the jail hit a record high of 27 in-custody deaths.

The outage prevented detainees from appearing in front of a judge within a state-required time frame, leading to the mass release.

As he was fighting for the Legislature to change state bail laws, the governor continued his emergency order to restrict no-cost jail releases during the pandemic. At least several Texas courts have deemed the order unconstitutional.

The Collin County sheriff is calling the death of a 26-year-old Black man in his jail a “profound tragedy,” and asking the community for patience as investigations proceed.

Last month, as Texas began to shutter businesses and cancel public events, counties across the state began cutting the number of people in local jails,…

As the new coronavirus continues to spread in Texas’ two biggest county jails, Gov. Greg Abbott has made it harder for thousands of inmates to get out of…