What We're Reading
News that caught our attention or cited the Texas Justice Initiative from across the Lone Star State and beyond.
Inmates facing big virus risks not near top of vaccine lists
Published on December 16, 2020Reporting by Colleen Sleven and Patty Nieberg shows that incarcerated individuals are far from the front of the line for the COVID-19 vaccine, despite being hard-hit. Texas and four other states comprise the highest number of coronavirus cases in prisons, they write, yet none of those states' plans to the CDC in October included prioritizing incarcerated people.
Excited Delirium: The controversial syndrome that can be used to protect police from misconduct charges
Published on December 13, 202060 Minutes' John Dickerson reported on "excited delirium," which was cited in the deaths of George Floyd and Elijah McClain, and how law enforcement have used it in justifying injecting individuals with ketamine.
No Way Out: COVID-19 behind bars in Texas
Published on December 13, 2020A multimedia investigative project by WFAA and The Marshall Project depicts various aspects of COVID-19 in Texas prisons, including its affect on employees and incarcerated people. The reporting "showed that the spread of COVID-19 behind bars was also due to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's lackluster response, potentially exacerbating outbreaks and putting surrounding communities at risk."
Impact Report: COVID-19 and Jails December 2020 Update
Published on December 6, 2020In this December update, the National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice examines 19 million daily jail records from 2020 to see how bookings, releases and rebookings changed during the pandemic.
Dead and Undone
Published on November 23, 2020David Barer and Josh Hinkle dig deep into custodial death reporting in Texas in their latest multimedia project for KXAN, which includes televised news stories and a dedicated series of their investigative podcast, Catalyst. TJI is grateful to have been used as a resource for this important work.