What We're Reading
News that caught our attention or cited the Texas Justice Initiative from across the Lone Star State and beyond.
A Carceral Crisis
Published on October 15, 2020A new report from the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security urges officials to take "urgent and swift action" to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus in jails and prisons. "The lack of preparation—the lack of a public health system—that exists in these facilities is really concerning," Crystal Watson, who co-authored the report, said.
1,010 people have been shot and killed by police in the past year
Published on September 23, 2020In its annual summary of shootings by law enforcement, The Washington Post reports that the number of shootings each year has remained steady since The Post's first report five years ago. Additionally, the report states, "the rate at which black Americans are killed by police is more than twice as high as the rate for white Americans."
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."