What We're Reading
News that caught our attention or cited the Texas Justice Initiative from across the Lone Star State and beyond.
The U.S. Prison System Has Reached 1,000 COVID-19 Deaths
Published on August 28, 2020Reason Magazine's Scott Shackford reports that the number of people who have died of COVID-19 in American prisons has passed 1,000 (inmates and staff), based on data collected by The Marshall Project.
Officer-Involved Shootings Climb in Texas; Blacks, Latinos Disproportionate Victims
Published on August 27, 2020The Center on Media Crime and Justice at John Jay College featured TJI's officer-involved shootings report in their publication, The Crime Report. Reporter Laura Bowen focused on the increasing number of shootings by officers in Texas over the past four years and decreasing survival rates of victims.
Bexar County Is No. 2 in Texas for Officer-Involved Shootings; Black Residents Are in the Crosshairs
Published on September 9, 2020Sanford Nowlin, editor-in-chief for the San Antonio Current, localized TJI's new report on shootings of and by Texas law enforcement for the cover story of his weekly newspaper. Nowlin's story focuses on Bexar County/San Antonio, home to the 2nd-highest number of officer-involved shootings in Texas from 2016-2019.
Covid-19 has killed more police officers this year than all other causes combined, data shows
Published on September 2, 2020Christopher Ingram reports that at least 100 law enforcement officers have died after contracting COVID-19 on the job, and another 150 deaths remain under investigation. "At the state level, Texas stands out for having the highest number of law enforcement covid fatalities with at least 21, according to NLEOMF. At least 16 of those represent officers with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which manages the state’s correctional facilities."
When Asthma in Jail Becomes a Death Sentence
Published on September 2, 2020Since 2005, nearly 800 people have died in Texas jails of causes labeled by officials as natural. "But in recent years, lawsuits," Michael Barajas reports, "Texas Rangers reports, and newspaper investigations have shown many of those to be preventable tragedies that appear to result from negligence on the part of jail staff."