AltWeeklies Wire
After Exoneration, Billy James Smith Waits for His Pardonnew
Smith was released from prison one year ago after serving 19 years and 11 months for a crime he didn't commit -- today he is a man in purgatory, exonerated by the legal system but not yet pardoned by Gov. Rick Perry.
The Texas Observer |
Cynthia Hall Clements |
10-05-2007 |
Crime & Justice
Tags: crime & justice
DNA Test Will Show if Texas Executed an Innocent Mannew
One strand of hair found on the counter of an East Texas liquor store whose owner was gunned down in 1989 could help determine whether Texas executed an innocent man for the killing -- a judge has ordered the hair not be destroyed as the Observer and the Innocence Project push for DNA testing.
The Texas Observer |
David Pasztor |
09-24-2007 |
Crime & Justice
Texas Youth Commission Sex Scandal Cover-Up Widensnew
A disciplinary report confirming misconduct by former West Texas State School Assistant Superintendent Ray Brookins was altered with the apparent approval of Texas Youth Commission Inspector General Ray Worsham shortly after Brookins was given a promotion.
The Texas Observer |
Nate Blakeslee |
03-26-2007 |
Crime & Justice
Tags: crime & justice
Two New Supreme Court Justices Control the Fate of Condemnednew
Both sides in the death penalty debate are looking to the court's eventual rulings in Smith v. Texas, Abdul-Kabir v. Quarterman and Panetti v. Quarterman for signs, clues, or outright proof that the tide has turned.
The Texas Observer |
Anthony Zurcher |
02-26-2007 |
Crime & Justice
Tags: crime & justice
Texas Youth Commission Hides Abuse Scandalnew
How did alleged abuse at a youth facility in West Texas evade detection for so long?
The Texas Observer |
Nate Blakeslee |
02-26-2007 |
Crime & Justice
Tags: crime & justice
