What We're Reading
News that caught our attention or cited the Texas Justice Initiative from across the Lone Star State and beyond.
Provision of Air Conditioning and Heat-Related Mortality in Texas Prisons
Published on November 2, 2022A JAMA Network report on deaths in Texas prisons during warm months from 2001 to 2019 found, "approximately, 13% of deaths in Texas prisons during warm months between 2001 and 2019 may be attributable to extreme heat days."
Uncounted Deaths in America's Prisons & Jails: How the Department of Justice Failed to Implement the Death in Custody Reporting Act
Published on September 20, 2022A Government Accountability Office report that comes at the end of a 10-month bipartisan investigation concluded that "nearly 1,000 deaths that potentially should have been reported to the DOJ" had not been reported as required.
Meet the Press: Policing in America
Published on September 4, 2022Chuck Todd and others examine policing in America while investigating the death of Anton Black, a 19-year-old who died in police custody in Maryland in 2018.
People in Prison in Winter 2021-22
Published on March 10, 2022A new report from the Vera Institute of Justice found that from December 2020 to December 2021, Texas prison populations decreased by 1.1% — compared to the previous year, when populations decreased by 14.6%. Meanwhile, the number of people in Texas county jails rose by 1.8% from December 2020 to December 2021.
2021 Was Deadliest Year for Law Enforcement Officers in History
Published on January 11, 2022A new report from the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund found that Covid-19 fatalities were the leading cause of death of law enforcement officers in the U.S. in 2021.