Only a third of nonviolent prisoners are paroled each year, while more than 40 percent of eligible “violent aggravated” sex offenders are paroled. Nonviolent prisoners make up almost half of Texas’ first-in-the-nation prison population. Refusing to release nonviolent, sick and elderly prisoners wastes tens of millions of dollars of taxpayer money each year. Parole decisions [...]
Advancing Accommodations for Hearing Impaired By Jordan Smith For the second time in a decade the city of Austin has settled a federal civil rights suit, reaffirming its agreement to provide training for Austin Police officers on how to effectively communicate with Austin’s deaf population, including how to obtain interpreters to ensure effective communication as [...]
Heat Exhaustion in a Texas Prison Editorial For much of the summer of 2008, temperatures in Beeville, Tex., soared above 90 degrees. For almost two weeks, the heat index was 130 degrees or higher, in what scientists consider the “extreme danger” range, when the risk of heat stroke is imminent. The heat was stultifying inside [...]
ADA 22nd Anniversary Series By Juan Castillo AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF A state advocacy group for people with disabilities said Thursday it is suing the City of Austin and more than two dozen businesses in the city and across the state, accusing them of discriminating against people with disabilities by denying them access to public amenities. The [...]
Police Accountability By Patrick George The Texas Civil Rights Project has filed a lawsuit against the City of Austin, claiming it violated state open records laws by not responding to a request for documents related to the fatal shooting of Ahmede Bradley by a police officer in April. According to the suit filed in state [...]
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