Southwest

Arizona Prosecutor Commissions Report That Argues Against Leniency For Teens Who Commit Crimes

Report attempts to discredit decades of research on the adolescent mind.

Kira Lerner Nov 01, 2019

Austin Braces As Texas Officials Plan Crackdown On Homeless Encampments

Last week, the City Council reinstated a “no camping” ordinance meant to discourage people experiencing homelessness from sleeping on sidewalks and outside a shelter. Advocates say the city is criminalizing poverty.

Aaron Morrison Oct 25, 2019

A Deadly Father-And-Son Bank Robbery Raises Questions About Culpability and The Adolescent Mind

Christopher Lay grew up under the influence of a father who was mentally ill. Drawn into a crime at age 19, he’s now seeking a second chance that could help other young adults demand the same.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Oct 18, 2019

Oklahoma Woman Imprisoned For Boyfriend’s Abuse Gets Chance at Freedom

Tondalao Hall has served 15 years for allegedly ‘failing to protect’ her kids from their father’s violence. A parole board will now decide if that’s enough.

Roxanna Asgarian Oct 08, 2019

Oklahoma Department of Corrections Agrees to Move ‘Qualifying’ Death Row Prisoners Out of Tomblike Unit

Some death row prisoners will be moved to another unit with access to direct sunlight, fenced-in recreation, and contact visits, department says.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Sep 28, 2019

DNA Testing Could Save This Texas Man’s Life. But Prosecutors Are Opposing It.

Rodney Reed, set to be executed on Nov. 20, is innocent of a rape and murder, his lawyers say, and untested evidence will prove it. But prosecutors have pushed back, arguing the evidence is contaminated.

Lauren Gill Sep 26, 2019

Oklahoma’s Death Row Prisoners Are Forced Into Permanent Solitary Confinement. They are ‘Buried Alive,’ Advocates Say.

Civil rights groups demand change as other states move away from the practice of isolating people sentenced to death.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Sep 25, 2019

Harris County D.A. Seeks Execution of Intellectually Disabled Man, Lawyer Says

Kim Ogg ran as a reform-minded district attorney candidate, but her office has sought two death warrants for Dexter Johnson, whose lawyer says cannot name everyday objects and has an IQ of 70.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Sep 10, 2019

In One Arizona County, Pay For Your Ankle Monitor Or Go To Jail

A lawsuit is challenging Mohave County’s practice of charging certain people for mandatory GPS monitoring before trial.

Kira Lerner Aug 23, 2019

Caught on Video: A Texas Man’s Fatal Pursuit By Police

The family of Ricardo Treviño, an unarmed 21-year-old killed by police last year, says they’ve spent months waiting for answers on why he was shot.

Aaron Morrison Aug 07, 2019

Utah Jail Nurse Faces Negligent Homicide Charge in Death of 21-Year-Old Woman

In 2016, Madison Jensen died from opiate withdrawal at the Duchesne County jail. New court filings allege that jail staff, including its nurse, ignored her rapidly deteriorating health.

Lauren Gill Aug 01, 2019

Spotlight: Ice Cream Licking, Corporate Negligence, And What Constitutes A Crime

Sarah Lustbader Jul 16, 2019

Arizona Man Faces Deportation After Filing Lawsuit Against Coconino County Sheriff

Jose Montelongo-Morales challenged the jail’s immigration detainer policy. He and some of his family members were arrested months later.

Lauren Gill Jun 18, 2019

Spotlight: Prosecuting Lifesavers Exposes Deep Problems With Laws and Their Enforcement

Sarah Lustbader Jun 11, 2019

Data Raises Questions About Harris County D.A.’s Push for More Lawyers

Records show Kim Ogg’s office appeared to misrepresent felony prosecutor caseloads in its $21 million budget request.

Keri Blakinger Jun 10, 2019

Scandal-Plagued Arizona Prosecutor Won’t Release Records, Lawsuit Alleges

The ACLU of Arizona is suing Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery’s office over its alleged lack of transparency.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg May 22, 2019

Overdose In An Arizona Prison? Get Ready To Pay Up.

‘Worst policy imaginable’ punishes, rather than treats, patients who earn less than a dollar an hour, advocates say.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg May 03, 2019

Border Patrol in New Mexico Stood By As Right-Wing Militia Terrorized Migrants

Videos and audio posted by the group and its supporters on social media raise questions about the agency’s role.

Debbie Nathan Apr 29, 2019

A Baby’s Death, a Flawed Autopsy, and a Mother Locked Up for Life

Tina Rodriguez was sent to prison in Texas for allegedly starving her son to death. But recent discoveries about the medical examiner who conducted the baby’s autopsy raise questions about her case.

Debbie Nathan Apr 22, 2019

Good Samaritans Punished for Offering Lifesaving Help to Migrants

In recent years, the number of people federally charged with smuggling and harboring has jumped nearly a third.

Debbie Nathan Apr 17, 2019

Texas Is Poised to Make It Easier to Jail People For Voting Errors

The legislation is part of a wave of bills across the country meant to criminalize mistakes in the name of voter fraud.

Kira Lerner Apr 12, 2019

Houston Homicide Under New Scrutiny After Misconduct Allegations About DEA Agent Emerge

In 2000, Lamar Burks was convicted of murder and given a 70-year sentence. But the federal indictment of a DEA agent and witnesses who say Burks is innocent have raised new questions about his case.

Mike Hayes Apr 03, 2019

In Texas, D.A. Who Promised Reform Now Faces Challenge From The Left

Audia Jones pledges to tackle ‘brokenness in the system’ by unseating Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg.

Roxanna Asgarian Mar 07, 2019

Texas Sheriffs Stand Against Marijuana Policy Reform

New bills would expand access to medical marijuana, but the state's sheriffs' association promises to fight even such modest legislation.

Michael Arria Mar 04, 2019

How A No-Knock Raid in Austin Turned Into a Lethal Shootout

‘There were explosions everywhere ... I had no idea who was in the house.’

Jessica Pishko Feb 05, 2019

In 1 Day, New Mexico Prison Had 2 Suicides In Solitary Confinement

The state uses solitary at one of the highest rates in the nation.

Kira Lerner Jan 29, 2019

Moving Away From ‘Jail for Everybody’

Harris County Judge Darrell Jordan discusses his newly elected colleagues’ decision to withdraw an appeal of a landmark bail reform lawsuit.

Roxanna Asgarian Jan 14, 2019

Trump Has Turned the War on Trafficking Into a War on Immigrants

The president is drawing on two decades of bipartisan support for crackdowns on traffickers to secure support for his agenda at the border.

Melissa Gira Grant, Debbie Nathan Jan 09, 2019

Back-to-Back Jail Deaths Rock Small Utah County

Two women died at the Duchesne County Jail in the span of about one week in 2016. Now their families are suing in federal court.

Lauren Gill Dec 20, 2018

Oklahoma Governor Releases 21 Prisoners Shut Out Of Drug Sentencing Reform

But more than 1,100 others are still serving sentences that voters decided were too harsh.

Kira Lerner Dec 19, 2018

‘I Gotta Be Strong for My Babies’

An Oklahoma woman is serving 18 months in prison after being accused of failing to protect her daughter from the girl’s dad.

Roxanna Asgarian Dec 18, 2018

Program Meant To Fight Terrorism and Narcotrafficking Is Being Used to Target The Undocumented Community

Opposition to Operation Stonegarden, however, is spreading; one Arizona county just rejected over $1 million of its funds.

Debbie Nathan Oct 22, 2018

Cash Bail Yields A New Casualty

A Texas jail suicide involving a woman who couldn’t make bail in a shoplifting case highlights of the plight of pretrial detainees with mental illness.

Lauren Gill Oct 12, 2018

The Appeal Podcast Episode 10: Racism and Corruption in Child Protection Courts

With journalist Roxanna Asgarian.

Adam H. Johnson Aug 02, 2018

Before Children’s Grisly Deaths, a Family Fought for Them and Lost

The Hart family’s apparent murder-suicide drew headlines, but the path to the tragedy started much earlier—in Texas.

Roxanna Asgarian Jul 12, 2018

Austin Cops Said They Shot A Man Who Fired On Them–But It Turns Out He Didn’t Fire A Shot

Lawrence Parrish faces charges including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and remains jailed on $500,000 bond even though the Austin police admitted he never shot at them.

Michael Arria Jul 02, 2018