Category Archives: Crime and Punishment

On the death penalty

Posted on August 13, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Most of what you need to know about this story concerning Wendy Davis, the death penalty, and the Governor’s race can be found at the end of it. In July 2000, when she was a relatively new member of the … Continue reading →

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Sobering center status report

Posted on August 9, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s working as planned, which is great news. When Mayor Annise Parker opened the center at 150 North Chenevert St. last year, the idea was to cut police costs and reduce recidivism, creating a place other than jail for those … Continue reading →

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Is there any valid evidence of Todd Willingham’s guilt left?

Posted on August 6, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Washington Post has a long piece examining the connection between the jailhouse snitch whose testimony helped send Cameron Todd Willingham to death row and the prosecutor who has long denied taking any action to influence that testimony. For more … Continue reading →

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Ogg proposes marijuana prosecution reforms

Posted on July 27, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I like the sound of this. Kim Ogg, the Democratic nominee for Harris County district attorney, said Friday she will ticket and enforce community service for, instead of arrest and jail, thousands of people arrested each year in Houston for … Continue reading →

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Vaping in jail

Posted on July 27, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Not sure how I feel about this. As a way to allow some inmates to get their nicotine fix and sheriffs to shore up tight budgets, county jails across the country have begun selling electronic cigarettes. Though the trend has … Continue reading →

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TPJ files criminal complaint against Ken Paxton

Posted on July 26, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: TPJ Calls for Formal Investigation of AG Candidate Ken Paxton – Criminal Complaint Filed With Travis County DA’s Office TPJ has filed a criminal complaint with the Travis County District Attorney against State Senator and Attorney General … Continue reading →

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Palau catches a little heat for hiring John Bradley

Posted on July 14, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Hilarious. The president of Palau has defended appointing a US lawyer who left his previous role as Texas county prosecutor amid controversy over an innocent man who spent almost 25 years behind bars. President Tommy Remengesau confirmed former Williamson County … Continue reading →

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Charles Sebesta may finally have to face responsibility for his actions against Anthony Graves

Posted on July 8, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Very good news. It’s been eight years since the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals found that the DA who prosecuted Anthony Graves for capital murder had done something unconscionable : withheld favorable evidence and used false testimony to secure a … Continue reading →

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Walking a mile in their ankle monitors

Posted on July 7, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

You have to admire this kind of dedication to one’s office. Though she has never been convicted of a crime, Marsha McLane is having her every movement these days tracked by a satellite-monitored anklet, just like thousands of ex-cons in … Continue reading →

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John Bradley’s second act

Posted on July 3, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Lisa Falkenberg brings a fascinating and unexpected update to the story of John Bradley, the former Williamson County DA and Texas Forensic Science Commissioner who served as one of the main villains in the Michael Morton case. Since losing elected … Continue reading →

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Grits on the HPD staffing debate

Posted on June 29, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Grits weighs in on the HPD no-investigations story with some suggestions for how to proceed. Here’s how to boost the number of police officers available on patrol while freeing up officers to work as detectives in the burglary and other … Continue reading →

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Construction of joint processing center and forensics facility approved to begin

Posted on June 28, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Several major building projects – including a state-of-the-art facility for the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences and a voter-approved jail inmate processing center – officially are in the pipeline after Commissioners Court on Tuesday approved a $305 million … Continue reading →

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We need more context to the HPD no-investigations issue

Posted on June 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Regular commenter Steven Houston left this feedback on my “More reaction to the HPD no-investigations report” post. It raises some good points and helped me focus my thinking on a couple of things, so I wanted to reproduce it and … Continue reading →

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Perry grand jury may be winding down

Posted on June 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

We are getting close to some action on this. A grand jury looking into whether Gov. Rick Perry abused his power with a veto threat appears closer to wrapping up after current and former Perry staffers were behind closed doors … Continue reading →

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Some things are worth paying more for

Posted on June 11, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

How much would you pay for fewer faulty convictions? Prosecutors say the state’s new Michael Morton Act, a measure designed to prevent wrongful convictions by forcing district attorneys to be more transparent in criminal cases, is driving up evidence costs. … Continue reading →

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When might marijuana be legalized in Texas?

Posted on June 10, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Very interesting debate going on in the Baker Institute Blog about when marijuana might be legalized in Texas. Here are the posts they’ve published, in decreasing order of optimism: Texas will legalize medical marijuana in 2015 and regulate marijuana similarly … Continue reading →

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More reaction to the HPD no-investigations report

Posted on June 10, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I’m not the only one that wasn’t impressed by Chief McClelland’s response. [Burglary victim Heather] Heinke’s experience is not unusual in the nation’s fourth-largest city. A recent HPD staffing study says that 15,000 burglaries and thefts, 3,000 hit-and-run crashes and … Continue reading →

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Almost nobody is following Rick Perry’s lead in defying the Prison Rape Elimination Act

Posted on June 9, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Emily dePrang has the story. Back in March, Gov. Rick Perry sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder declaring his intent to defy a federal law designed to reduce sexual assault in prison. It was a very Perry … Continue reading →

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McClelland’s response

Posted on June 8, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I have to say, I’m not impressed. Defending his department’s failure to investigate thousands of crimes last year, Police Chief Charles McClelland on Thursday said the understaffed Houston Police Department does not and should not have a goal of aggressively … Continue reading →

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Those uninvestigated criminal cases

Posted on June 5, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

To say the least, this is big news. The Houston Police Department, already reeling from a scandal involving shoddy work in its homicide unit, was dealt another blow Monday when a report revealed that some 20,000 burglary, theft, assault and … Continue reading →

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Another slap on the wrist for a prosecutor behaving badly

Posted on June 1, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Weak. Very weak. The Texas Bar Association has issued a public reprimand to state district Judge Kaycee Jones for her role in clandestine texting during a criminal trial while she was a prosecutor and before her election to the bench … Continue reading →

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Harris County tries to get smarter about drunk driving

Posted on May 16, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

That seems to be the thrust of this story. Convicted drunken drivers soon could face tougher scrutiny through a series of reforms designed to reduce the rate of drunken driving fatalities in Harris County, among the highest in the nation. … Continue reading →

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More on the Pratt resignation deal

Posted on May 10, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I’m still shaking my head about this. The Harris County district attorney still could investigate and charge former family court Judge Denise Pratt, despite striking a deal with the freshman jurist to resign to avoid prosecution on charges of tampering … Continue reading →

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Pratt’s resignation deal

Posted on May 9, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Now here‘s an interesting twist to the story. Former family court Judge Denise Pratt’s resignation in late March was part of a deal to avoid indictment, Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson said Wednesday, asserting that the document tampering case … Continue reading →

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We really should comply with the Prison Rape Elimination Act

Posted on May 7, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s the right thing to do, and it’s the law. During a House County Affairs Committee hearing Monday, local sheriffs said the most problematic provision of the 2003 law is a requirement that minors be housed separately from adult prison … Continue reading →

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AG opinion sought for Perry’s use of taxpayer funds for defense

Posted on April 27, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. A Democratic House leader has asked for a legal opinion on how and if Gov. Rick Perry can bill taxpayers for his $450-an-hour criminal lawyer defending him in a grand jury probe. Perry is under a grand jury investigation … Continue reading →

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Rick Perry really wanted Rosemary Lehmberg to quit

Posted on April 24, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From the Trib. Even after Gov. Rick Perry stripped funding for the agency that prosecutes state public corruption cases, his emissaries worked to swap the resignation of embattled Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg for restoration of the money, several … Continue reading →

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The Rick Perry grand jury convenes

Posted on April 16, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Game on. A grand jury was sworn in Monday to look into whether Gov. Rick Perry acted improperly last year when he threatened to kill funding for the Travis County district attorney’s public corruption division unless District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg … Continue reading →

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Perry lawyers up

Posted on April 15, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s getting real. Texas Gov. Rick Perry has hired a high-profile Austin defense lawyer to represent him in an investigation into whether he illegally withheld money from the Travis County District Attorney’s office. KVUE News and the Austin American-Statesman confirmed … Continue reading →

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HPD’s good, bad, and ugly

Posted on April 12, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The good news is that the testing of backlogged rape kits has led to the identification of a serial rapist in Houston. Houston police on Tuesday for the first time identified a criminal suspect – a possible serial rapist – … Continue reading →

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Perry special prosecutor is “concerned”

Posted on April 5, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

As are we all. A special prosecutor investigating whether Gov. Rick Perry abused his authority when he eliminated state funding of the Texas public integrity unit — which investigates government corruption and is housed in the Travis County district attorney’s … Continue reading →

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Perry says Texas will not comply with the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act

Posted on April 2, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Amazing the number of laws Rick Perry refuses to obey, isn’t it? More than a decade after the Prison Rape Elimination Act unanimously passed Congress, federal standards for implementation of the law have been finalized. Now, Gov. Rick Perry and … Continue reading →

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CCA to review dismissal of DeLay conviction

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The criminal justice system isn’t done with Tom DeLay just yet. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Wednesday agreed to review whether a lower court correctly decided last fall to toss out the prison sentence handed to former House … Continue reading →

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How much will science advance in the courts?

Posted on March 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s up to the CCA to decide. Texas’ highest criminal court will hear arguments Wednesday in a case that could affect how evolving scientific evidence is used in courtrooms across the state. For Neal H. Robbins, the high court’s decision … Continue reading →

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