Jackson Lee calls for inquiry into Harris County; 7/06/2008
DALLAS MORNING NEWS: U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee called Sunday for a congressional inquiry into what she believes is a state of crisis within the Harris County legal system. The Houston Democrat primarily cited a recent grand jury decision not to indict suburban homeowner Joe Horn, the retired grandfather who shot to death two men he suspected of burglarizing a neighbor's home. "As far as many are concerned, justice was not rendered," said Jackson Lee, speaking at news conference. "There needs to be a question about how the case was presented. Was there no basis for this individual to be tried by a jury of his peers?"
Levin: Getting more out of Texas prisons; 6/10/2008
STAR-TELGRAM: When it comes to the criminal justice system, Texans get what they pay for. Funding is largely based on volume -- as Texas' prison population has quadrupled during the last two decades, the cost to taxpayers has risen proportionally. Although warehousing works to the extent that inmates cannot commit another crime while in prison, 99 percent of inmates ultimately will be released -- usually while still in their prime criminal years. Many of the same offenders are recycled through the system; 60 percent of Texas prison intakes are revoked probationers and parolees. The three-year re-incarceration rate of released Texas inmates has hovered around 30 percent during the past decade.