jail

A federal lawsuit alleging that people in the Smith County jail in Tyler, Texas were kept after their eligible release was settled in February for $1.5 million.

Anthony Johnson Jr. died in Tarrant County Jail custody in 2024 after officers pepper sprayed him in the face. Rafael Moreno, one of the officers on trial, knelt on his back for 90 seconds.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in an opinion the Texas Commission on Jail Standards has the authority to hire an independent investigator to look into all custody deaths. The opinion is in response to a letter sent by Tarrant County District Attorney Phil Sorrells last year.

A new comprehensive analysis of state data shows Texas prisons get so hot in summer that temperatures there would routinely violate state standards for other types of lockups. The state will be back in federal court to defend the conditions behind bars.

Commissioners have voted to spend $55 million exploring potential sites for a new county jail.

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards gave Dallas County a "clean inspection" with no corrective notes during its review Jan. 13-15.

Jail and court computer systems compatibility makes it harder to adjudicate cases, causing longer waits in the jail.

The rising number of youth sent from counties like Tarrant is helping to push the waitlist for beds in youth prisons to near an all-time high, the state says.

Data shows a growing number of people in Travis County jails find themselves facing deportation after sometimes routine run-ins with the police.

Ivan Paris filed a federal lawsuit against Dallas County Judge Amber Givens on Tuesday, Oct. 14, saying she sentenced him to prison even after she was off his case.

While the nature of the assault isn’t clear from a sheriff’s office press release, an internal investigation confirmed the allegation’s veracity.

Judge Vonda Bailey, among other elected county officials, has solicited donations on social media from her courtroom.