News & Commentary
Denying Formerly Incarcerated People the Right to Vote Isn’t About Justice
At the age of 19, I lost my right to vote due to a low level, non-violent felony drug conviction. I was sentenced to 22 years in prison, 17 of which was spent on parole, based on a prosecutor’s 45-year sentence recommendation for not accepting a plea bargain and exercising my right to due process.
By Darwin Hamilton
Why Incarceration Hurts Texas Families the Most
I had my first child in the custody of a county jail. I was arrested for possession of a controlled substance just after learning I was pregnant. When my son was born, I was able to spend two days with my baby in the hospital. Leaving him to go back to jail was the hardest day of my life.
By Lauren Johnson
What to Expect During the 2019 Texas Legislative Session
Visit our Legislation Tracker to learn more about the bills that will make a huge impact on Texas during the 2019 Texas Legislature.
By Imelda Mejia
The Case Against Galveston County’s Pretrial Detention System Survives the Government’s Challenge
If you are accused of a crime and arrested in Galveston County, Texas, you better hope you can afford to pay the preset bail amount to get out of jail. If not, then you will join hundreds of other people who are incarcerated simply because they cannot afford to buy their freedom. In Galveston and communities across the country, there is one pretrial detention system for the poor and an entirely different one for everyone else.
By Trisha Trigilio, Twyla Carter, Senior Staff Attorney, ACLU Criminal Law Reform Project
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