harris county

Jail dominates Harris County Sheriff budget whether candidates acknowledge reality or not

Scott Henson
March 21, 2012 01:02

Big Jolly has posted a hagiography candidate interview featuring Louis Guthrie, the GOP frontrunner to challenge Adrian Garcia for Harris County Sheriff, who Jolly declares is "a natural born leader," adding that he "couldn’t blame [Guthrie] if he thought I had a man-crush on him."With Jolly...

'The Harris County Jail: The Largest Mental Health Provider in Texas'

Scott Henson
March 01, 2012 15:12

Via press release, Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia tomorrow morning will address a subject I think few Texans are aware of: That the Harris County Jail is "The Largest Mental Health Provider in Texas." Media are invited to the event.

The legacy of Otis Campbell and Houston's proposed 'sobering center'

Scott Henson
March 01, 2012 13:54

Following up on a suggestion from Harris County District Attorney Pat Lykos, Houston officials plan to create a "sobering center," reports the Houston Chronicle's Chris Moran ("Houston plans 'sobering center' at shelter instead of jail," Feb. 29), where police can take drunks instead of booking...

Harris jail noncompliance caused by using pretrial detention to coerce plea deals

Scott Henson
October 12, 2011 12:43

The Harris County Jail has been cited again by the Commission on Jail Standards for overcrowding, but as has long been the case really their problem is understaffing. Reported James Pinkerton at the Houston Chronicle (Oct. 11):The state jail commission cited Harris County for having 355 prisoners...

Possible false convictions from decades past

Scott Henson
October 08, 2011 22:44

A pair of stories out this week raise questions about possible false convictions from 25-40 years ago in which new evidence points to the likely real perpetrators.From the Austin Statesman, check out Chuck Lindell's latest offering, "Mystery filing could bolster prisoner's innocence," reporting on...